Falling for the Enemy
by Beckyhelene
Summary: Completed. LOL, me and my happy endings.
1. Enemies

Note: This fic takes place like, kinda between Thunder Stangers pt. 1 and 2. LOL ( No one knows who the Thunder Rangers really are yet.  
  
2nd Note: Yes, I am still writing my other fic, just, saw the Looming Thunder and Thunder Stangers pt. 1 and just had to write this, lol (  
  
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Tori, Shane and Dustin fought the two Thunder Rangers diligently. The two guys where off fighting the Crimson Thunder Ranger, leaving the Navy Thunder Ranger for Tori. Which was fine by her. The two battled feverishly. Tori landed a kick to his chest and slightly congratulated herself as she saw him sprawled on his back. The Navy Thunder Ranger jumped up to his feet and charged at her. He held his weapon to her throat as she tried to push him away.  
  
"Ready to surrender?" He asked, his face inches from hers. Tori grunted as she fought against him.  
  
"Not on your life." She replied. She kneed him in the stomach and shoved him away. She stood back and prepared herself for more fighting when her two friends showed up by her side.  
  
"Everything ok?" Dustin asked. Tori nodded. The Crimson Thunder Ranger appeared by his fallen comrade and helped him to his feet.  
  
"You've won this round, rangers." He said. "But don't think we're through with you." And with that, the two disappeared.  
  
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Tori sat on the beach, staring out on the ocean. It was nearly sunset, and the beach was nearly deserted, except for some couples in the distance, and a group of college kids further off having a party and a bonfire. She sighed and looked up to the sky.  
  
"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" Came a voice. She looked up and saw Blake. She smiled up at him.  
  
"Hey." She said. Blake smiled and sat beside her.  
  
"Hey." He said. "Are you and your friends all right?" He asked. Tori nodded. "Great." He said. "What happened out there anyway?" He asked. "Hunter, Kelly and I were like around the area when we heard a bunch of commotion." Tori looked at him with feighned cluelessness.  
  
"I have no idea." She said. "It was pretty freaky." She added. Blake nodded.  
  
"Yeah." He said. "It's a good thing you guys are all OK." He said. Tori looked at him.  
  
"It's a good thing you guys where out there when you were." She said.  
  
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The Thunder Rangers stood in Lothor's throne room, discussing The Wind Rangers.  
  
"Sir, if we knew where their base of operations was, destroying them would be easy." Zurgane said. Lothor nodded.  
  
"Yes, that is true. But I don't think they're handing out maps with directions to their secret lair!" He said.  
  
"Calm down, man." The Crimson Thunder Ranger said. "We're on it." Lothor glared at the two.  
  
"Yes, well, you two work too slowly for my taste." He said.  
  
"Anyone ever told you, paitnence is a virtue?" The Navy Thunder Ranger replied sarcasticly. Zurgane stepped up to him.  
  
"You will address Lothor with respect, you pathedic-"  
  
"Oh, really?" The Navy Thunder Ranger asked, smirking. "Who's going to make me, big guy?" Zurgane growled and went to attack.  
  
"Zurgane." Lothor said firmly. "Behave yourself." Zurgane grumbled as he stepped away from the Thunder Rangers. Marah and Kapri chuckled at the sight of Zurgane being put in his place. Marah looked up at her uncle.  
  
"Uncle, we could always capture one of them and use them as bait, or.Ransom, whatever." She babbled. She smiled at the thought of capturing one of the hunky boy rangers. Lothor looked at his niece for a bit.  
  
"You know, that actually isn't a bad idea. Congraulations, Marah, you've just proved that you aren't as dumb as we all thought." He said. Marah smiled.  
  
"Thanks unlc...." She paused. "Hey!" Kapri laughed. 


	2. Captured

"Any news on who these Thunder guys might be?" Dustin asked, looking at Cam. He sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Absolutely, positively, totally, completely, nothing." Cam replied. Tori and Shane walked in to Ninja Opts, returning from sparring. Dustin sighed and looked up at them.  
  
"We've still got nothing." He said.  
  
"Wonderful." Tori said, slumping next to her friend.  
  
"Man, we have got to get some info on those guys. I mean, they've been seriously kicking our butts." Shane said.  
  
"Ya don't need to tell us." Dustin said. "Man, I think that red dude gave me bruises on my bruises."  
  
"All shall be reveled eventually." Sensei said from his perch next to Cam's computer.  
  
"Yes, but it would be nice if eventually was now." Tori said.  
  
"Uh huh." Shane and Dustin agreed. Cam's brows furrowed as something came up on his screen. There was one of Lothor's goons on the beach. It was big, and seemed be covered in vines.  
  
"Guys, we've got a monster." Cam announced. The other three stood up.  
  
"All right, let's go." Shane said.  
  
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"You ready?" The Crimson Thunder Ranger said, looking at his partner. The Navy Thunder Ranger nodded. They watched on as the three Wind Rangers appeared.  
  
"All right." Dustin said, looking around the deserted beach. "Where's the monster dude?" He said.  
  
"Dunno." Shane said.  
  
"I'm right here!" Came a voice. The three wind rangers spun around to see the monster.  
  
"Man you're ugly." Dustin remarked. The monster growled and shot out its arms. Several vines shot out towards the three. They all fell back as the vines hit them. "Agh." Shane grunted.  
  
"You just had to insult it, didn't you?" Tori asked.  
  
"Come on!" Dustin said as he jumped to his feet. Shane and Tori followed. The monster blasted at Shane and Dustin, sending them soaring back.  
  
"Guys!" Tori exclaimed. She went to go help them when one of the monster's vines wrapped around her neck. She gasped and pulled at it, trying to get out of the grip. It tightened around her throat, restricting her airflow.  
  
"Tori!" Shane yelled. He pulled out his weapon, ready to blast the monster. The monster saw this and pulled Tori off her feet, moving her in between himself and Shane. Shane tried to get a clear shot, only to have the monster fling Tori about, using her as a shield. Tori gagged and struggled to breathe as her vision began to dim.  
  
"Shoot it!" Dustin exclaimed, seeing his friend in distress.  
  
"I'm trying!" Shane yelled.  
  
"This is an interesting show." The Crimson Thunder Ranger said as he appeared behind them. The two spun around and saw him.  
  
"I'll take care of this clown, you help Tori." Dustin said, charging at The Crimson Thunder Ranger. The two fought. Shane turned back to Tori.  
  
"He..lp." She forced out.  
  
"Hold on!" Shane exclaimed. He charged at the monster and began attacking it. The monster easily blocked his blows while still keeping a tight grip on Tori. "Let her go you freak!" He demanded.  
  
"OK!" The monster said. He flung Tori across the beach. Tori rolled on the sand, her back slamming against some rocks. Shane went to go to his friend, only to have the monster attack him. Tori tried to pull herself to her feet, coughing and trying to take in a lungful of oxygen. She fell on the sand, barely moving. Shane's eyes widened as he saw the Navy Thunder Ranger slowly walking to Tori.  
  
"Tori!" Shane yelled. The monster lifted him off the ground and tossed him aside. He looked up and gasped when he saw that Tori and the Navy Thunder Ranger vanished. "NO!" Dustin looked over and saw this as well.  
  
"Tor!" He spun around to the Crimson Thunder Ranger. "Where did your buddy take her?" He demanded. The Crimson Ranger chuckled.  
  
"If I told you, where would the fun be?" And with that, he vanished as well. The monster laughed and left too. Dustin went over to Shane and helped him to his feet. Shane growled.  
  
"I can't believe this." He exclaimed. He paused as something caught his eye where Tori had been. He and Dustin went over and saw Tori's morpher and communicator.  
  
"Oh man." Dustin said.  
  
"Come on, maybe Cam's got some info." Shane said. They made their way back to Ninja Opts.  
  
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Cam sighed, giving up.  
  
"It's like she vanished off the face of the earth." He said.  
  
"I have a feeling that's it." Dustin said.  
  
"We've got to find her." Shane said. "Who knows what they're going to do to her."  
  
"I have a feeling they have taken Tori in hopes of finding our location." Sensei said.  
  
"Dad's right." Cam said. "They're probably going to use her for ransom, or something." He sighed, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. Tori was their friend. Cam knew that no one wanted to be in the position of having to decide between the fate of the world, and the fate of Tori.  
  
"So, basically, this whole monster attack was all a plot to get one of us." Shane said. "Wonderful."  
  
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Tori's eyes fluttered opened. She looked up to see a dark and dank room. She blinked as she looked around. It looked like she was in some sort of dungeon or something. She could feel the danger of her predicament. She raised her wrist up to morph into ranger gear, and gasped. Her morpher and communicator where gone.  
  
"This can't be good." She muttered. 


	3. Good Cop, Bad Cop

Tori beat on the door of the cell with her fists.  
  
"Hello?!" She yelled. "Let me out of here!" She screamed. "Let me out of here or else!" Suddenly two faces appeared in the window at the door. She jumped back, startled. She looked over and saw it was Marah and Kapri, Lothor's nieces.  
  
"I don't think you're in the position to make threats." Marah giggled. Tori growled and rushed to the door. The girls yelped and jumped back.  
  
"When I get out of here, I will beat you so hard, your cheap dye jobs will fall off!" She screamed. Marah gasped.  
  
"It was not cheap!" She said defensively.  
  
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"I can't believe they took her." Shane sighed. He and Dustin were in the backroom of Storm Chargers. Dustin was busy fixing up a bike. "I should've helped her." Dustin looked at his friend.  
  
"Dude, the blame game isn't going to make Tori magically appear. All right? It wasn't your fault. We had no idea they had this plan thing. Trust me, if we had, I would've gotten freaking Dobermans to stick to her like glue. Let's just hope Cam can track her down." Shane looked at him.  
  
"What if they're right? What if they're using her in hopes of us exchanging the location of Ninja Opts, ergo basically surrendering, for her life? I mean, what are we going to do?" He asked. Dustin set down the tool he was working with and looked at his friend.  
  
"I don't know, bro. I mean I know if it was me, I wouldn't want you guys to give up."  
  
"Neither would I. Tori wouldn't either." Shane said. "But, we can't just forget about her."  
  
"Totally." Dustin said. "We're all a team, and, we can't just abandon our comrade like that."  
  
"Right." Shane agreed.  
  
"Hey, guys." They looked up to see Hunter and Blake walk in. "Kelly told us you guys were back here." Hunter said.  
  
"Hey." Dustin said. "What's up?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing, just heading to the track, wondering if you wanted to tag along." Blake said. Dustin shook his head. He was too worried about Tori to even think about bike riding.  
  
"No thanks, man." He said.  
  
"You sure?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Yeah, I've got a lot of work to do." Dustin said, gesturing to the bike before him.  
  
"Well, I'm sure Kelly wouldn't mind letting you off for an hour or so." Hunter said.  
  
"No, it's cool." Dustin said. Shane looked at the two.  
  
"We've all got plans, anyway." Shane said. "We're meeting up with some friends and all." Hunter and Blake gave him a look, as if to say 'oh really?'. "Sorry, but, like, our friends don't know you, otherwise we'd invite you guys. You know how it is?" He added, not so sincerely.  
  
"Right." Hunter said.  
  
"Well, if you change your mind, Dustin, you know where to find us." Blake said as they left.  
  
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Tori sat in her cell. She had been in there for hours. She was feeling nervous and anxious, wondering what was in store for her. She paused as she heard footsteps outside her cell. She stood up. She heard the door to her cell begin to unlock and open. She got in a fighting stance; ready to fight whoever it was that came in. The door slowly opened to reveal the two Thunder Ranger guys. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at them.  
  
"Well, hello to you too." The Crimson Thunder Ranger said, giving an exaggerated bow. The Navy Thunder Ranger looked at her, taking in her fighting stance.  
  
"Are you sure you want to fight us?" He chuckled. "I mean there's one of you, two of us. Oh, and there's that little fact that you can't change or anything right now."  
  
"So you're pretty much screwed." The Crimson Thunder Ranger interjected. Tori glared at them both.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, keeping her voice even.  
  
"Oh, just wanted to check on you. See if you where bored, if you needed some crossword puzzles or something." The Crimson Ranger chuckled.  
  
"Bite me." Tori growled. The Navy Thunder Ranger tsked at her.  
  
"Isn't it captive etiquette to be nice to their captors?" He asked. Tori smirked.  
  
"You're not captors, you're Lothor's boot lickers." She said. The Crimson Thunder Ranger growled and charged at her. He pinned her against the wall with his weapon pressed against her throat.  
  
"Why don't you try saying that again?" He sneered at her.  
  
"Back off, man." The Navy Thunder Ranger said, pulling his partner away. The Crimson Thunder Ranger stepped back, glaring at her. The Navy Thunder Ranger sighed. "She's just doing it to get to you, man."  
  
"Whatever, I'm out of here." The Crimson Thunder Ranger said as he stormed out of the cell. Tori rubbed her hand against her neck.  
  
"Mind telling me what is everyone's fascination with my neck region suddenly?" She asked rhetorically. The Navy Ranger looked at her.  
  
"I wouldn't make my friend mad, you know. As you can see, he can be very violent when provoked." Tori looked at him.  
  
"I've seen crime dramas, I know the whole good cop bad cop shtick when I see it. And just so you know, it's not working."  
  
"All right." The Navy Ranger said. "But just know that the next time you decide to get smart with us, I just might not help you."  
  
"I'm sorry, but if I wasn't smart with you, I'd be reduced to be just like you." Tori shot back. The Navy Ranger chuckled.  
  
"Right." He said as he left the cell, locking the door behind him. 


	4. Trust and Stirfry

Shane and Dustin sat behind Cam in Ninja Opts as he kept trying to find Tori.  
  
"I can't find her at all." Cam sighed. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack." Shane and Dustin both sighed as well and rubbed their faces tiredly.  
  
"I just wished something would happen." Dustin replied. "Or that we knew something. I mean, for all we know, Tor could be-"  
  
"Don't." Shane said. "Don't even think that."  
  
"I'm not trying to sound like I'm loosing hope, but-"  
  
"Dustin." Shane said sternly. "Tori is fine, and we will find her, we will get her back. And we will beat those Thunder Ranger's asses to a bloody pulp." Dustin looked at his friend and nodded.  
  
"Right, I'm sorry."  
  
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Tori looked up as the door to her cell opened up. She saw The Navy Ranger walk in carrying something.  
  
"Well, the good cop returns." She smirked. The Navy Ranger chuckled.  
  
"At your service." He shut the door behind him and walked over. He set down what he was carrying, which was a plate of food before her. Tori looked at him quizzically. "Well, I think the captor's etiquette does say that a captor should not let the captive starve." He said.  
  
"Well, the captive's etiquette entails that the captive has the right to refuse." She said, her smirk fading. She didn't want to give this guy any thought that she was going to fall for the 'good cop' thing and allow him to smooth talk and such with her. The Navy Ranger uncovered the dish and Tori looked at the food. It was her favorite food, tofu stir-fry over brown rice. She blinked. "Uh...Well, I may be kind of hungry." She said. The Navy Ranger chuckled.  
  
"Good to know." He sat back as she began to eat. Tori looked up at The Navy Thunder Ranger.  
  
"Just so you know, if this is all just a ploy to gain my trust so I'll spill the deepest darkest secrets of The Wind Rangers, it's not going to work." The Navy Thunder Ranger looked at her.  
  
"Oh, and why's that?"  
  
"Well, a. I'd never turn on my friends, and b. I'll never trust you."  
  
"Ouch." He replied. "That stung a little."  
  
"I'm just being truthful." Tori said.  
  
"Well, I guess honesty is the best policy." The Navy Ranger replied.  
  
"Mmm-hmm." Tori said as she ate the rest of the food.  
  
"Although, why do you feel you'll never trust me?" He asked. Tori looked at him.  
  
"Shall we count the reasons?" She asked. "Well, lets see, you stole my friend's plans for the tsunami cycle, I don't know how you got your hands on them by the way, you've attacked me and my friends repeatedly, and, oh yeah, you kidnapped me." She said.  
  
"Ever heard of forgive and forget?" He chuckled.  
  
"He asks while I'm still being held captive." Tori remarked. The Navy Ranger looked at her.  
  
"Tori," he began, his voice losing all its humor. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He said. Tori looked at him.  
  
"What?" She asked. Something about the way he said that scared and reassured her at the same time.  
  
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I may be your enemy or whatever, but that doesn't mean I exactly want you to get hurt." He stood up, picking up the now empty plate. Tori looked up at him as he left.  
  
"Thank you." She said. "I still don't trust you though." The Navy Ranger looked at her. "At least, not totally." She added.  
  
"Well, that's something I guess." He said as he left. 


	5. Out of the frying pan

"Has the little ranger said anything?" Lothor asked, addressing the two Thunder Rangers.  
  
"No, not yet." The Crimson Ranger said. Lothor slammed his fist on his throne angrily.  
  
"We captured the girl to get information. Not to wait around."  
  
"Chill out, we'll get the info." The Navy Ranger insisted. Lothor simply glared at him as the two walked out.  
  
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Shane and Dustin where in the backroom of Storm Chargers. It had been a day since Tori got captured. Kelly poked her head in.  
  
"Guys." She called. They looked at her. "Mrs. Hanson is here, she wants to talk to you two." She said. Shane and Dustin looked at each other. They had been expecting a visit from Tori's mom and had come up with a reasonable story to give her. They walked out to the front to see a blonde haired woman in her 40s or so. She smiled at them as they walked over.  
  
"Hi boys." She said.  
  
"Hi." They responded. "Is, uh everything all right?" Dustin asked.  
  
"Yes, well, I hope so. Uh, have either of you seen Victoria.." She paused; realizing they never called her that. "I mean, Tori? She didn't come home last night." Shane gave a feigned expression of shock.  
  
"Didn't Tori tell you?" He asked.  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"Well, there's this big Surfing Expo going on in Malibu. She had wanted to go, but it was full, then, someone dropped out at the last minute. So, she took their place." Mrs. Hanson looked at him.  
  
"Really? It's not like her to just leave and not tell me and her dad." She said.  
  
"It was really last minute." Dustin said. "She asked us to tell you. We must've forgotten to give you a call. Sorry." Mrs. Hanson gave a dismissive nod.  
  
"It's all right. Did she give you a phone number where we could contact her?" She asked.  
  
"Uh, no. She said she didn't know what it was. But she promised she'd call when she got the chance."  
  
"I see." She said. "Well, thanks. We were starting to get worried. All right, then, thanks for telling me." She turned and left. Shane and Dustin sighed and turned to walk back to the backroom. Kelly looked at them.  
  
"I don't remember hearing anything about a Surfing Expo in Malibu going on." Kelly said. Dustin and Shane looked at her. They hadn't counted on getting caught in their lie.  
  
"Uh really?" Dustin said. "Cause, it was all over the place. These head guys running the expo were giving the info out to folks and such." He said. Kelly looked at him.  
  
"You're hiding something. I don't know what it is, but it must be major if Tori asked you to lie for her."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Shane asked. Kelly sighed.  
  
"Whatever, just, make sure whatever it is isn't major enough that Tori'll get hurt or whatever." She said as she went back to work. Shane and Dustin looked at each other.  
  
"Dude, that was close." Dustin said. Shane sighed.  
  
"Yeah. Let's go check on Cam, see if he's got anything new." Dustin nodded as the two left the shop.  
  
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Lothor walked towards the cell where the blue wind ranger was being kept.  
  
"I refuse to sit around and wait until pigs fly for those two to get me any information." He said to Zurgane who was following close behind him.  
  
"Yes, sir." They arrived at the door.  
  
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Tori sat in her cell. She heard the door opening. Her heart fluttered slightly at the thought of getting another visit from The Navy Thunder Ranger. Tori caught herself and sighed.  
  
"Don't even start to like him. I mean, for one thing, you don't even know who he really is.And also the fact he's evil. Even though he doesn't exactly seem evil." She muttered to herself. The door opened to revel Lothor, Zurgane and a group of Kelzacks. Tori gasped and jumped to her feet. Lothor laughed.  
  
"Hello, dear." He said.  
  
"What the hell do you want, ugly?" She said. Lothor placed a hand on his chest and acted as if her words hurt him.  
  
"Oh, no. I have been insulted." He laughed. "Someone just kill me now."  
  
"Don't tempt me." Tori said lowly.  
  
"Forever the little fire-cracker isn't she." Lothor said to Zurgane. "It would been nice to have and adversary like that." He looked at Tori. "How about that? Wouldn't you like to work alongside me? Be on the winning side of this."  
  
"I already am." She shot back. Lothor chuckled.  
  
"Perhaps you are, perhaps you're not. Pity you won't survive to see wether or not that's true." He said. Kelzacks burst in. Tori tried her best to fight them off, but there were just too many. They grabbed her. She struggled against them.  
  
"Let go of me!" She growled. Lothor slowly walked out of the cell, with Zurgane, and the Kelzacks holding the struggling and grunting Tori following behind.  
  
"Sir, what is it you plan to do with her?" Zurgane asked.  
  
"Get the information we want, and then sent her out to drift into space forever." Lother chuckled. 


	6. Into the fire

"Cam-" Dustin began to say as he and Shane walked into Ninja Opts to find Cam hunched over the computer.  
  
"No, nothing yet." He said tiredly, knowing what they were about to ask. Cam had been trying to locate Tori nonstop since she had been captured the day before. But, since her communicator and morpher weren't on her, the task was proving to be very difficult. "It'd be a hell of a lot easier if she hadn't been stripped of her communicator and morpher." He sighed.  
  
"I think that was why they took it off of her." Shane said. "Cause they didn't want us to locate her."  
  
"Gee, ya think?" Cam snapped. He sighed and rubbed his face, exhausted. "Sorry." He said. He sat back in his chair frustrated. "We're looking for a needle in an entire warehouse of haystacks." He said. "I mean, I don't even know if I'm looking in the right places or what."  
  
"Cam." Sensei said as he hopped up to the table, standing next to the computer. "You mustn't over exert yourself." He looked at his son. "You have not slept in an entire day. You need some rest." Cam sighed and stood up.  
  
"What I need is some coffee or something." Shane and Dustin looked at him.  
  
"Maybe your dad's right." Dustin said. "You do look a little spent."  
  
"I'm fine." Cam insisted. "When we find Tori, I'll sleep for an entire week, ok?" He offered. Shane sighed.  
  
"Look, just get some rest. Then come back and keep looking. You'll feel better, and maybe be more able to focus and all after you've got a clear head." Cam groaned and looked at the three of them.  
  
"I'm not going to win this battle, am I?" He asked.  
  
"Must you ask?" His father replied.  
  
"All right, fine." Cam said as he retreated to his room in Ninja Opts.  
  
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The Navy Thunder Ranger made his way to Tori's cell. He held another plate of food for her. He went to the door and was shocked to see it was opened. He dropped the plate when he saw that it was also empty. He had a bad feeling about it. He ran out of the cell and saw Chooboo walking around the ship. He went to him.  
  
"Hey, Ugly." He called out. Chooboo turned and faced him. "Where is the ranger?" He asked. Chooboo stepped back a bit.  
  
"Uh.what ranger?" He stammered. The Navy Thunder Ranger growled and grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him against a wall, pinning him there.  
  
"Wrong answer, stupid." He said lowly. "Let's try this again." He put more pressure on Chooboo. "Where is she?" He demanded.  
  
"I have no idea-"  
  
"You do realize that I can slice you up like a fricken' holiday turkey, right?" The Navy Thunder Ranger said. That seemed to get Chooboo's attention.  
  
"Lo.Lothor took her!" He cried out fearfully.  
  
"All right, now where getting somewhere." The Navy Thunder Ranger said. "Why did he take her?"  
  
"He.He said he got tired of waiting for you to provide results. He said he was going to get the information his own way." Chooboo said.  
  
"Where did he take her?"  
  
"I don't know." He said. The ranger pressed on him harder. "OK, ok." Chooboo said. "He took her to The Chamber." The Thunder Ranger dropped Chooboo. He knew what The Chamber was. Lothor used it to torture any of his lackies that seriously ticked him off. Feeling of dread and anger filled the ranger as he ran off.  
  
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Tori lay strapped to a table. Lothor stood over her with Kapri and Marah standing by some controls. Lothor had kept demanding she talk about the Wind Rangers, the location of Ninja Opts, and anything that could be of use to him. She refused to talk.And then came the pain. Every time Tori said something Lothor did not appriciate, he would nod to his nieces. They pulled a lever and waves and waves of electricity poured into her. She didn't know how much the voltage was, nor did she care. All she knew was that Lothor could do his worst if he wanted to, but she'd never tell him what he wanted.  
  
"Tell me where your base of operations is." Lothor demanded.  
  
"Bite me." Tori replied. Lothor sighed and looked at his nieces, who excitedly pulled the lever. Tori winced and whimpered softly as she tried to take the pain. She clenched her fists, keeping herself from screaming. She couldn't scream, couldn't cry, she wouldn't let Lothor get the satisfaction of seeing her do so. The electricity stopped. Tori's body slumped against the table. Lothor circled around her.  
  
"You have a strong warior spirit." He commented. "Which, I have to admit, is quite admiravle. I mean, if I was in your shoes, I'd do the same." Tori gave him a seething look.  
  
"You could never be in my shoes, that would require an ounce of honor and dignity." Lothor looked at her, quite amused.  
  
"You still don't seem to get it." He said. "You are in no position to give insults." He looked at Kapri. "Raise up the voltage a bit," he looked at Tori. "Let us remind our friend who's in charged here." Kapri did as she was told. She pulled the lever again. Tori's nails dug into her palms as the intense pain filled her. She was somewhat glad that she was never one of those girls who grew her nails out very long, knowing that if she was, her palms would be a bloody mess by now. The electricity left again. Her head lulled tiredly to the side as she panted. She raised her eyes to him. "You can hit me with everything you got, buddy, but I'm not talking." Lothor laughed.  
  
"Well, on that note, I guess we'll let you rest, for now. Can't have you dying before you tell me what I want to hear, now can I?" He smirked. He and his nieces left the room.  
  
The Thunder Ranger, who had been watching all this, pressed himself against the wall as the three walked out. He felt sick to his stomach watching Tori get tortured. He had wanted to help her, but he knew that that would have just resulted in them both getting hurt. He waited until Lothor, Dweedle Dee and Dweedle Dumb where out of eyeshot. He slowly walked into the room. His eyes fell on Tori's body. She was covered in sweat, her palms had red marks on them where her nails where, and she looked tired and generally spent. He went to her side.  
  
"Tori." He said softly. Her eyes where barely opened. He turned her face so she was looking at him. "Tori, don't pass out on me here." He whispered. Tori looked at him.  
  
"You..." She said, trailing off dazedly. "What..Did Lothor send you in to light me up like a Christmas tree?" He could see the pain in her eyes. The pain that she had been hiding from Lothor.  
  
"I told you I'd protect you." He said gently. He undid the restraints on her ankles. He then undid her wrists. "C'mon." He said as he helped her up. "Can you walk?" He asked.  
  
"I think so-" She went to stand, only to stumble against The Navy Thunder Ranger.  
  
"That's a no then." He gathered her in his arms. Tori's arms hung around his neck and her head tiredly rested against his chest as he carried her out of the room.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Tori asked softly.  
  
"Off this place first of all." He said as he slowly crept along the corridors, making sure he wasn't seen by any of Lothor's army or Kelzacks. He turned a corner and stopped, seeing Lothor, Zurgane, Chooboo, Kapri and Marah. He stepped back, tightening his hold on Tori.  
  
"You." Lothor growled. Zurgane stepped forward.  
  
"Sir, let me destroy him!" He said. Lothor held up a hand, stopping him. He narrowed his eyes at The Navy Ranger.  
  
"When Chooboo told me you were turning on us, I had to see it to believe it." He said. The Crimson Thunder Ranger walked in, and took in the scene before him. He looked over at his partner who was holding the blue ranger.  
  
"What's going on here?" He asked. The Navy Thunder Ranger turned his head to look at him.  
  
"You shall pay for your betrayal." Lothor boomed. A ball of energy shot out from his hand. The Navy Ranger quickly turned back to Lothor. He tried his best to shield Tori, expecting this to be some fatal blast. It wasn't. Instead, it expanded, surrounding both he and Tori. It was similar to the orbs that Lothor had used to capture the Ninja Academy Students around the world. The Crimson Ranger watched in horror as the orb shot out into space with his comrade and Tori in it. 


	7. Rest of into the fire

Tori lay strapped to a table. Lothor stood over her with Kapri and Marah standing by some controls. Lothor had kept demanding she talk about the Wind Rangers, the location of Ninja Opts, and anything that could be of use to him. She refused to talk.And then came the pain. Every time Tori said something Lothor did not appriciate, he would nod to his nieces. They pulled a lever and waves and waves of electricity poured into her. She didn't know how much the voltage was, nor did she care. All she knew was that Lothor could do his worst if he wanted to, but she'd never tell him what he wanted.  
  
"Tell me where your base of operations is." Lothor demanded.  
  
"Bite me." Tori replied. Lothor sighed and looked at his nieces, who excitedly pulled the lever. Tori winced and whimpered softly as she tried to take the pain. She clenched her fists, keeping herself from screaming. She couldn't scream, couldn't cry, she wouldn't let Lothor get the satisfaction of seeing her do so. The electricity stopped. Tori's body slumped against the table. Lothor circled around her.  
  
"You have a strong warior spirit." He commented. "Which, I have to admit, is quite admiravle. I mean, if I was in your shoes, I'd do the same." Tori gave him a seething look.  
  
"You could never be in my shoes, that would require an ounce of honor and dignity." Lothor looked at her, quite amused.  
  
"You still don't seem to get it." He said. "You are in no position to give insults." He looked at Kapri. "Raise up the voltage a bit," he looked at Tori. "Let us remind our friend who's in charged here." Kapri did as she was told. She pulled the lever again. Tori's nails dug into her palms as the intense pain filled her. She was somewhat glad that she was never one of those girls who grew her nails out very long, knowing that if she was, her palms would be a bloody mess by now. The electricity left again. Her head lulled tiredly to the side as she panted. She raised her eyes to him. "You can hit me with everything you got, buddy, but I'm not talking." Lothor laughed.  
  
"Well, on that note, I guess we'll let you rest, for now. Can't have you dying before you tell me what I want to hear, now can I?" He smirked. He and his nieces left the room.  
  
The Thunder Ranger, who had been watching all this, pressed himself against the wall as the three walked out. He felt sick to his stomach watching Tori get tortured. He had wanted to help her, but he knew that that would have just resulted in them both getting hurt. He waited until Lothor, Dweedle Dee and Dweedle Dumb where out of eyeshot. He slowly walked into the room. His eyes fell on Tori's body. She was covered in sweat, her palms had red marks on them where her nails where, and she looked tired and generally spent. He went to her side.  
  
"Tori." He said softly. Her eyes where barely opened. He turned her face so she was looking at him. "Tori, don't pass out on me here." He whispered. Tori looked at him.  
  
"You..." She said, trailing off dazedly. "What..Did Lothor send you in to light me up like a Christmas tree?" He could see the pain in her eyes. The pain that she had been hiding from Lothor.  
  
"I told you I'd protect you." He said gently. He undid the restraints on her ankles. He then undid her wrists. "C'mon." He said as he helped her up. "Can you walk?" He asked.  
  
"I think so-" She went to stand, only to stumble against The Navy Thunder Ranger.  
  
"That's a no then." He gathered her in his arms. Tori's arms hung around his neck and her head tiredly rested against his chest as he carried her out of the room.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Tori asked softly.  
  
"Off this place first of all." He said as he slowly crept along the corridors, making sure he wasn't seen by any of Lothor's army or Kelzacks. He turned a corner and stopped, seeing Lothor, Zurgane, Chooboo, Kapri and Marah. He stepped back, tightening his hold on Tori.  
  
"You." Lothor growled. Zurgane stepped forward.  
  
"Sir, let me destroy him!" He said. Lothor held up a hand, stopping him. He narrowed his eyes at The Navy Ranger.  
  
"When Chooboo told me you were turning on us, I had to see it to believe it." He said. The Crimson Thunder Ranger walked in, and took in the scene before him. He looked over at his partner who was holding the blue ranger.  
  
"What's going on here?" He asked. The Navy Thunder Ranger turned his head to look at him.  
  
"You shall pay for your betrayal." Lothor boomed. A ball of energy shot out from his hand. The Navy Ranger quickly turned back to Lothor. He tried his best to shield Tori, expecting this to be some fatal blast. It wasn't. Instead, it expanded, surrounding both he and Tori. It was similar to the orbs that Lothor had used to capture the Ninja Academy Students around the world. The Crimson Ranger watched in horror as the orb shot out into space with his comrade and Tori in it. 


	8. Desperate times

"AH." The Navy Thunder Ranger exclaimed as he was dropped in the middle of some sort of island. He sat up, shaking his head gently. He looked around him. His heart stopped when he saw no sign of Tori.  
  
"Oh no." He muttered as he jumped to his feet. "Tori!" He called out. He looked over to the edge of the island and saw her slowly crawling out of the ocean coughing. He ran to her as she collapsed tiredly onto the ground. "Tori? Are you all right?" He asked. He helped her sit up. Tori coughed a bit more.  
  
"Oh yeah, just need to work on my landings." She sighed. She looked up. "Where are we?" She asked. The Navy Thunder Ranger sighed.  
  
"I dunno." He said. He stood up, helping her up as well. Tori stumbled slightly against him. He caught her. She looked up at him. "You sure you're ok?" He asked.  
  
"Cut me some slack. Lothor and Dumb and Dumber lit me up with god knows how much of electricity, and I just landed in the middle of an ocean. I'm not exactly Ms. Mary Sunshine of OK-ness right now."  
  
"A simple yes or no would've worked." He said as he led her away from the water.  
  
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"What did you do?!" The Crimson Thunder Ranger demanded as he tried to get at Lothor. Kelzacks held him back.  
  
"The same that I will do to you if you ever think about double crossing me." Lothor replied.  
  
"You killed him?" The ranger exclaimed.  
  
"Oh no. I would never." He replied. "Just, put him and his little girlfriend out of the way." The Crimson Thunder Ranger shook off the Kelzacks. He "glared" at Lothor and left. Lothor looked at Zurgane.  
  
"Send Whiplash to take care of the two rangers." He grinned. "Just because I never would kill him, doesn't mean someone else wont."  
  
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Tori and The Navy Thunder Ranger sat in a cavern. He had tried teleported them out of there, or contacting the Crimson Ranger, but it seemed his communicator wasn't working. Tori sighed.  
  
"I can't believe this. It's like this whole experience is getting from bad, to worse, to unbelievably horrendous."  
  
"Everything'll be ok." The Navy Ranger assured her. "Just as long as nothing p-"  
  
"I suggest you don't say anything that starts with 'just as long', 'atleast' or 'it could be worse'. The last thing I need is you jinxing us."  
  
"Are you always this nice and friendly, or is this just because of our situation?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, no, I'm always this way to people who attack me and my friends on a daily basis." She smirked. The Navy Thunder Ranger decided not to answer that. He looked out the cavern.  
  
"Since it looks like we're gonna be here a while, we might as well start building a fire or something." He said. Tori looked at him.  
  
"All right." She said. She went to stand up. The Navy Thunder Ranger stopped her.  
  
"You stay here." He said. "I'll go get some firewood." Tori glared at him.  
  
"Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I'm totally useless." She said.  
  
"Did I say that?" He asked. "You're hurt, and plus, we don't know if we're completely alone here. You'll be safe here. I have my suit, you don't even have your morpher."  
  
"And whose fault is that?" She countered. "It's not like I dropped it whilst teetering on the edge of conciousness." The Navy Thunder Ranger seemed to glare at her. Why did she have to be so sarcastic and cold?  
  
"I'm going to go get firewood." He said through clenched teeth. He walked out. "Stay here." He ordered over his shoulder.  
  
"Who died and made you ruler of all?" She muttered under her breath.  
  
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The Navy Thunder Ranger walked along the island, picking up sticks, wood, anything that could help build a fire. He used this time to make himself calm down, which was a task easier said then done. Things with Tori were seeming to be all right..albeit she was a prisoner at the time, but still. They seemed to have been connecting. And now, she was rehashing stuff that he did or whatever and becoming mean. She made him so angry. A part of his mind told him that wasn't the whole reason why he was angry. And, that was true. He was angry because he did actually have feelings for her. He didn't know what it was exactly. But the times he and his fellow Thunder Ranger spied on her and her teammates, he'd get a stirring in his heart at the sight of her. She was beautiful, yet she didn't seem to really relay on that, or even fully aknowledge it, which only made her even more beautiful. She was a good opponent, fighting wise. Even if he and his comrade where beating the daylights out of them all, she didn't just roll over and play dead or anything. Maybe his feelings for her was what made him decide that she would be the ranger they would capture. His desire to be near her. And it was those feelings that made him save her from the torture device. Those feelings that got them both transported to this place. The Navy Thunder Ranger sighed. He decided he had collected a sufficient amount of wood and made his way back to the cavern. Back to the girl who's face invaded his thoughts. Back to the girl who was a thorn in his side. The girl he wanted to protect and keep safe more then his own life itself.  
  
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The Crimson Thunder Ranger stood alone in a corner of the ship. He was so angry. He was angry at Lothor for doing away with his partner. And angry at The Navy Thunder Ranger for stupidly putting himself in the position of being a traitor. He sighed and stood up straight. He knew what he had to do if he ever wanted his comrade to be returned safely. He really didn't want to, but, it was his only choice.  
  
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." He muttered to himself as he teleported off the ship. 


	9. The Adventures of Navy boy and water gir...

The Navy Thunder Ranger must've been out longer then he had thought. When he came back, he saw Tori lying on the ground; her head resting on her arm, sleeping. He set the firewood down and took a moment to look at her. He was mesmerized by how serene she looked right then. Her damp blonde hair resting on her back and shoulder, with some strands falling over into her face. Her eyelashes resting on her cheeks, her mouth partially open as she breathed. The Navy Thunder Ranger sighed and shook his head, trying to release himself of his daze. He started building the fire.  
  
After about a half hour or so, Tori's eyes fluttered open. She saw The Navy Thunder Ranger sitting by the fire on the other end of the cavern. He was staring at the flames, deep in thought.  
  
"Hey." She said somewhat groggily as sleep slowly left her. The Navy Thunder Ranger left his thoughts and looked up at her.  
  
"Hey." He responded. Tori got up and walked over to the fire, sitting next to him. The two were silent for a while, looking at the fire. She looked at him, taking a deep breath. "Sorry." She said. The Navy Thunder Ranger looked at her. "For being kinda mean before." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Haven't exactly been having the best few days." She muttered sarcastically. The Navy Thunder Ranger nodded.  
  
"Right.Sorry about that.." He said, referring to the parts he played in it all.  
  
"Forget it. I mean, if it wasn't for you, I'd be Kentucky Fried Tori." She said, smiling. The Navy Thunder Ranger chuckled.  
  
"Oh yeah, Lothor was on the way to making ya extra crispy." He said. Tori laughed.  
  
"Yeah." She said.  
  
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Hunter walked into Storm Chargers and saw Dustin working. He walked over to him.  
  
"Hey man." He said. Dustin looked at him.  
  
"Oh hey. What's up?" Dustin asked. Hunter looked at him.  
  
"Uh, I kinda need to talk to you and Shane." He said. Dustin looked at him, puzzled.  
  
"Uh, Shane's at the skate park." He said. Hunter looked at him as if to say 'I need to talk to you guys'. Dustin looked at him. "Uh, I'm off work in like 15 minutes. We can go find him then, ok?" He asked. Hunter nodded.  
  
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Tori and The Navy Thunder Ranger soon got tired of sitting around and set off to find a way off the island.  
  
"Come on." The Navy Thunder Ranger said as he helped Tori down some rocks.  
  
"Thanks." She said. They walked along the island together.  
  
"Hello!" Came a voice. The two gasped and spun around to see the vine monster that attacked Tori the other day.  
  
"Oh great, not you again!" Tori said. The Navy Ranger stood in front of her.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" He demanded.  
  
"Lothor's pretty angry at you for betraying him. He sent me over to get rid of you." The monster said.  
  
"I don't think so." The Navy Ranger said. He held out his weapon and charged at the monster. The Navy Ranger and the monster fought heavily. He knocked the monster off it's feet and was about to destroy it when it jumped to its feet.  
  
"You can't get rid of me that easily." It laughed. The Navy Ranger went to attack him again when one of it's vines wrapped around his neck.  
  
"Hey!" Tori exclaimed.  
  
"Lothor will be so happy when I report your demise." The monster chuckled, tightening its grip on The Navy Ranger. "He might promote me to General!"  
  
"Leave him alone!" Tori yelled, rushing at the monster, trying to help The Navy Ranger.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you soon enough." The monster said. He blasted at Tori, sending her sprawling on her back.  
  
"......N........o....." The Navy Ranger choked out. "Leave.........er........alone......" Tori pulled herself up to her feet. Her eyes landed on a fallen branch nearby. She went over and grabbed it. She rushed up behind the monster.  
  
"I said, leave him alone!" She yelled as she smashed the branch aganist the monster's back.  
  
"AGH!" It yelled. It fell down, releasing The Navy Ranger. Tori went to his side.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked. The Navy Ranger coughed, trying to breathe and nodded. Tori helped him to his feet. "Let's get out of here." She said.  
  
Tori helped the Navy Ranger to the cavern they had been in before. She set him down. He was coughing and struggling to breathe. Tori sat beside him. She reached for the helmet of his suit.  
  
"Here, you might be able to breathe easierly with this off." She said. The Navy Ranger's eyes widened.  
  
"No, wait-" He protested. He tried to stop her as she pulled it off.  
  
"Here, you're going to be fi-" She stopped as she saw his face. "BLAKE?!" She exclaimed. Blake blinked, taking in gasps of precious oxygen.  
  
"Tori, I can expla-" He went to touch her hand. Tori flinched away from him as she jumped up. She dropped his helmet.  
  
"I.......I can't belive this.." She said. Blake stood up.  
  
"Tori, I'm sor-"  
  
"Stay away from me." She said as she backed out of the cavern.  
  
"Tori, wait!" He said. Tori turned around and ran away from him. Blake sighed. "Wonderful."  
  
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"Ngh!" Shane grunted as he slammed Hunter aganist a three in the park. He pressed his arm aganist his chest, keeping him in place. "Let me get this straight." Shane growled. "You, and your brother, are the Thunder Rangers?!" Hunter looked at him defiantly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry, are you deaf or something?" He asked.  
  
"You want me to kill you?!" Shane demanded.  
  
"Like to see you try. Me and Blake have basically handed you guys your asses everytime we've met."  
  
"Oh just snap his neck already. This arrogant bull is pissing me off." Dustin said.  
  
"Kill me, and you'll never see Blondie again." Hunter said. Dustin and Shane looked at eachother.  
  
"Where is she?" Shane demanded as he let go of him. Hunter stood up staight and looked at them.  
  
"I don't know." He said. Shane glared at him and went to attack him again. Hunter stepped into a defensive fighting stance. "Lothor transported her and my brother somewhere." He said.  
  
"Your brother is alone with her?" Dustin asked. "Lemme guess, he's got his morpher and junk, and she's basically defenseless. Man, that's fair." Hunter looked at him.  
  
"It's not like that." He said. "Tell your buddy to chill and I'll tell you what I know." Shane kept glaring at him, but stepped down.  
  
"Good doggie." Hunter replied.  
  
"Don't push it." Shane said.  
  
"All right, so what's going on?" Dustin asked. Hunter looked at them.  
  
"Blake was being his usual annoyingly kind generous self and was helping her out. Bringing her food, reassuring her, yadda yadda. Lothor was getting impaitiant with the fact that although they had a Wind Ranger, nothing was happening. No blabbing to Blake about you guys by accident or anything."  
  
"She'd never do that." Shane said.  
  
"Apparantly. Well, Lothor decides to torture it out of her."  
  
"WHAT?!" Shane and Dustin exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know the details, but, Blake decided to help her. Lothor caught him while he was trying to help her escape, called my brother a traitor, and transported them somewhere."  
  
"So, basically, this is all just a one hand washes the other kind of thing. You need us to help find Blake." Dustin said.  
  
"And you need me to find Blondie." Hunter said.  
  
"Hey, we don't need you." Shane said. "There's no input you can offer, and frankly, we couldn't give a rat's hairy butt about your brother."  
  
"You're the goody goodies. You wouldn't just abandon someone." Hunter sneered.  
  
"You two clowns kidanpped our friend, trust me, there are exceptions." Dutin said. "And besides, dude, look at your hair, where do you get off calling her Blondie?"  
  
"Let's go." Shane said. He and Dustin began to walk away. Hunter looked at them.  
  
"How about the little fact that Blake's got a morhper and junk, he's got a little tracking device on him. Tori doesn't. And, if you don't help me, I won't give you Blake's frequency." The other two stopped, realizing he had a point. The turned to him.  
  
"All right, but if you even think about turning on us once you and your bro are reunited, you're dead." Shane said.  
  
"And if Tori's hurt, you are doubly dead." Dustin said. Hunter smirked.  
  
"I'll be good, Thunder Ranger's honor."  
  
"Didn't know Thunder Rangers had any honor." Shane replied.  
  
"More honor then any Wind Rangers I know." Hunter shot back. Shane went to attack him again, Hunter went into a fighting stance. Dustin jumped in between them.  
  
"Cut it out!" He said. He pushed Shane back. "Let's get Tori back. Then you can beat him until the cow's come home."  
  
"As if he could." Hunter said. Dustin looked at him.  
  
"Shut up, or I'll help him beat you right now."  
  
"Whatever. Let's just go to your little base of operations already." Hunter said. Shane glared at him.  
  
"If this is all just a ploy to get in their, I-"  
  
"Will kill me, yeah yeah, whatever." Hunter said rolling his eyes. "It isn't. Lothor's gone stupid, and I don't want anything happening to my brother, all right?"  
  
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"Tori!" Blake called out searching the Island. Since Tori already knew who he was, he decided to opt out of wearing his suit. He climbed up some rocks. "Come on, Tori! That vine freak could be anywhere! It's not safe for you to be off alone!" He called out.  
  
"I don't need protecting, especially not from you." Came Tori's voice. She stood in front of him. Blake couldn't help give a relived sigh at finding her before the monster had.  
  
"Tori, I can explain, really." He said, although he couldn't think of an explaination that wouldn't result in her still being angry at him.  
  
"Explain why you lied to me?" She asked.  
  
"I didn't lie." Blake replied.  
  
"Oh really? I must've missed the conversations where you said 'Oh hey Tori, I'm the navy thunder ranger' or, before in Lothor's place, 'Just so you know Tori, I just happen to be that guy you know, Blake.' You lied to me."  
  
"No. Topics like that never came up in our conversations." Blake reasoned.  
  
"A lie by omission is still a lie." Tori said.  
  
"Well, you never asked about my indentity....other identity....Whatever." He said. "Besides, it's not like you wear a neon sign saying 'hey I'm the blue wind ranger'."  
  
"That's totally differant!" Tori replied. "You knew who I was, knew who all of us where. We had no idea who the Thunder Rangers were. You had an advantage. You really don't think that was fair, do you?"  
  
"OK, I'll admit, we did steal the tsunami cycle plans from Dustin's bag, but other then that, we haven't used our knowledge of who you guys are aganist you." Blake said.  
  
"If this is supposed to make me trust you, give up." Tori said. She turned away from him and began to walk away.  
  
"Hey, I did help you at Lothor's ship, didn't I? Doesn't that give me some trust points?" He asked. Tori turned to him.  
  
"You're right, it has. And those trust points are the only thing that's keeping me from beating you senseless right now." Blake looked at her.  
  
"I would think that the only thing keeping you from beating me senseless was the fact that the attempt would be futile." He said. Tori glared at him.  
  
"Screw you, Navy boy." She said.  
  
"Real great comeback ya got there, water girl." Blake said, amused.  
  
"Once I get my morpher back, your ass is so grass!" Tori yelled.  
  
"That's assuming you will get it back." Blake said. Tori narrowed her eyes.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, we have no idea if we're ever going to get off of this island." Blake said. "For all we know, we might be stuck here forever." Blake said. "Might as well try to get along."  
  
"I'd rather pull a Tom Hanks and be best friends with a volleyball then get along with you."  
  
"Vollyball?" Blake smirked.  
  
"Rock, tree, grain of sand, anything, as long as it isn't you!" She said. She went to walk away. Blake went after her.  
  
"Why do you suddenly loathe my existance?" He asked.  
  
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I just found out that one of my enemies and a guy I li...know.......Are the same person." Blake stopped.  
  
"Like?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Tori glared at him.  
  
"It was a slip." She said.  
  
"Well, Frued always said that slips usally are what people mean to say."  
  
"Really? I would've thought Frued was too complex for you..Hell, I would've thought Dr. Seuss was too complex for you."  
  
"And there's that Wind Ranger wit again." Blake said.  
  
"Bite me." She replied. Blake stopped for a second and looked at her.  
  
"Is that why you're mad at me?" Blake asked. Tori looked at him.  
  
"What? I'm mad at you because you're evil."  
  
"I am not evil." Blake said. Tori smirked.  
  
"You associate with evil, you fight the good guys, looks like you're evil buddy." Blake looked at her.  
  
"And you're the good guys?" He asked. "Cause, well, I don't know if people who are lead by a man who murdered innocent people are the good guys." He said.  
  
"Yet that's what you are." Tori said.  
  
"Yeah, Lothor's evil, but your Sensei isn't exactly Gahndi himself or something." He said.  
  
"What are you talking about? What does Sensei have to do with any of this?" Blake opened his mouth to answer when a blast shot out, shaking the ground they stood on. "Whoa." Tori said as she stumbled. Blake caught her. They looked up to see the vine monster.  
  
"Hi kids!" It called out.  
  
"Ugh! Can't this guy leave us alone?" Tori yelled frusterated. Blake grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "What are you doing?" She said.  
  
"Well, seeing as both times we've faced this dude, we've ended up in vine choke holds, I suggest we run." He said as he pulled her. Tori saw his point. The two ran away as the monster chased them, blasting at them every now and then. Tori ducked as she ran behind Blake. 


	10. Bodyslams and Tears

Hunter, Shane and Dustin stood behind Cam in Ninja Opts.  
  
"Can't you work a little faster?" Hunter asked impatiently. Cam rolled his eyes.  
  
"Remind me again why we brought the Jackass in here?" He asked. Hunter glared at him.  
  
"He can help us find Tori." Dustin sighed.  
  
"Well, tell him to calm down." Cam said. Sensei walked over and stood by the computer.  
  
"Cam," he said. Cam looked at his father and sighed. He knew he was being chastised for his rudeness. Hunter looked at Sensei. His eyes narrowed at him.  
  
"You." He said lowly. Everyone looked at him. Suddenly, Hunter tried to get at Sensei. Dustin and Shane grabbed his arms, holding him back. Cam jumped up and stood between Hunter and his father.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" Dustin grunted as he fought to keep his hold on Hunter, who was struggling against him and Shane.  
  
"I'm going to kill you!" Hunter growled at Sensei. "You murderer!"  
  
"What?" Cam said. Hunter looked at Cam.  
  
"He murdered my parents. Now it's his turn to die." Cam looked at his father. Sensei was as clueless as the rest of them.  
  
"I know not of what he speaks."  
  
"Liar!" Hunter yelled. "You murdered Stephen and Gloria Bradley, my parents." Sensei looked at him.  
  
"Those names sound familiar." He said. He remembered. "Yes, they were students at the Thunder Ninja Academy. Sensei Oramo was a friend of mine. He spoke to me about Stephen and Gloria. They where his most dedicated students."  
  
"You have no right to even speak their names!" Hunter yelled. Sensei looked at him sympathetically. The young man had been lied to. And Sensei knew exactly who it was who did.  
  
"I am sorry for your loss." Sensei said. "But I assure you, I had nothing to do with it."  
  
"Shut up!" Hunter growled. "You are a liar."  
  
"Can we gag him?" Dustin asked.  
  
"You don't know I tempted I am." Shane said. Cam looked at his dad.  
  
"I think you should go into your cage or something for now." He said. Sensei nodded as he left. Cam looked at Hunter. "As for you, calm down, or I'll have these two hold you down while I shove a Valium down your freaking throat." He threatened. Usually, Cam wasn't very violent, but this guy just threatened to kill Cam's own father, there were exceptions.  
  
"I'd like to see you try." Hunter said. Cam looked at Shane and Dustin.  
  
"Boys." He said. Shane and Dustin kicked Hunter's feet out from under him, slamming him on the floor. The shock and the impact itself knocked the wind out of him. Cam stood over him.  
  
"You calm?" He asked. Hunter coughed as he tried to catch his breath. He nodded. "Good." Cam said. Shane and Dustin yanked Hunter up to his feet, releasing him. Hunter sat on the table in the room, leaning over his knees trying to breath easierly  
  
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Blake and Tori sat in their cavern again. Tori sat looking at him. Blake looked out the cavern, seeing no sign of the monster, sat down.  
  
"I think we lost him." He said.  
  
"What did you mean, about sensei?" She asked. Blake looked at her.  
  
"He killed my parents." He said. There was a silence in the cavern. Tori sat back, stunned by his words.  
  
"What?!" She finally said. Blake simply nodded. "You've got to be joking." She said. "Sensei would never kill anyone."  
  
"That's what you think." Blake said.  
  
"I don't think it." She said. "I know it." Her tone was sure. "Is that why you and your brother have been going brutal on our asses?" She asked.  
  
"We made a deal with Lothor." Blake said. "We help him get rid of you guys, he lets us get our revenge on your sensei."  
  
"Well, that's..pleasant." Tori said. "Glad to know there's a nice price on my head." She said.  
  
"I didn't know you when we made that agreement." He said.  
  
"Yet even after you did, that didn't seem to stop you and your brother from beating us till we had aches and pains in places we didn't know could get aches and pains." She pointed out.  
  
"None of this has anything to do with you or your friends." Blake said.  
  
"So, we're just inconsequential nuisances?" She asked.  
  
"Exactl-" He paused. "Wait.."  
  
"No, no, don't sugar coat anything or whatever." Tori said. "We're just little flies in your way, is that right?" Tori asked. Blake sighed.  
  
"Is there any right answer to that one?" He asked.  
  
"Tell me the truth." She said. "For once in the time we've known one another, tell me the truth."  
  
"What are you talking about? I've told you the truth." Tori simply gave him a look. "All right, not about some things, but.."  
  
"Well, now I know the truth about that. So, it's only fair you not lie to me now."  
  
"What do you want to know?" He asked.  
  
"Well, for starters, who the hell gave you the idea that Sensei murdered your parents?" She asked.  
  
"Lothor." He replied. Tori raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Lothor? And you believed him?" She asked. "Please, tell me you're not stupid enough to believe the big evil space ninja who's trying to take over the world." Blake didn't answer. "Wow." Tori said. "Have you ever thought that maybe he's, oh, I don't know, lying?" She asked. "I mean, the guy's evil. You do know that, right?"  
  
"Can you please can the sarcasm?" Blake said.  
  
"OK, sorry." She said. There was yet another silence. "Besides, even if, and I do mean if, Sensei did kill your parents, what would killing him accomplish?" She asked sincerely.  
  
"It would avenge their deaths." Blake stated.  
  
"And what does that mean?" She asked. "Killing him won't bring your parents back. It won't deliver some closure to you and your brother."  
  
"Yes, it will."  
  
"No, it won't." Tori said. "Because, if anything, it'll just make you into whoever it is who killed your parents."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Blake said. "Your sensei's a heartless bastard who tore my family apart."  
  
"And that's what you'll be if you kill him." Tori said. "You won't be hurting Sensei by killing him. All you will be doing is tearing away a loving father from his son."  
  
"He killed my parents, he has to pay for that."  
  
"Making Cam pay for whatever wrongdoings you think his father did is not right." She said. "Say you do kill sensei. And Cam turns out to be just like you, vengeful. So, he kills Hunter. Then, to avenge the death of your brother, you will kill Cam. And then, where does that leave you? Alone." She paused, letting her words sink into Blake.  
  
"You and Hunter are so full of rage, hatred and vengeance, and it used to be without any target or whatever to aim it at. Don't you think it's likely Lothor just took all that and decided he could use it for his advantage? Maybe Lothor told you what you wanted to hear. He gave you someone to hate for the loss of your parents." Tori said. Blake said nothing. She decided to continue. "Instead of spending your life trying to punish those who hurt you, why don't you cherish the fact that you still have people who do care about you? I mean, you've filled your heart with thoughts of avenging the death of your parents, it seems like you haven't left room to love those who are still with you."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about." Blake said. Tori sighed, realizing he was going to be stubborn.  
  
"All right. Fine. But, just so you know, Dustin, Shane, Cam, and Sensei are family to me. You hurt them, I hurt you."  
  
"You just said vengeance is not right. So, you're a hypocrite."  
  
"Guess so." Tori said. "Although, in my case, at least I'd know for certain who to blame. Sensei can't even bring himself to step on a bug...well, back when he was in a position that he could.Anyway, he's too good of a person and everything. I don't believe he could've killed your parents."  
  
"Look, you don't understand me, Hunter, or anything. So I'd appreciate if you didn't try to analyze me."  
  
"All right." Tori said. "I'll admit it. I don't know what you or Hunter are going through. I don't understand what possible reason you see in your quest for vengence. So, make me understand." Blake stared at her, his eyes full of anger and sorrow.  
  
"Fine." He said. "Where do you want me to start?" He asked.  
  
"Wherever you think is best to make me see your logic." Tori shrugged.  
  
"OK." Blake said. He paused for a bit. "My family abandoned me when I was barely a toddler." He said. "I have no idea who my real mom and dad are. Don't even remember them. Do you have any idea what it's like being two years old in a freaking orphanage? Always getting overlooked by prospective parents because they want a tiny little baby? You feel unloved, unwanted. You feel like you're just some spec on the earth that will never be loved. But, then, miracles of miracles happens-You get adopted. And, your new mom and dad love you and everything. And they have another adopted son, so you have a new brother who also understands all the things you feel because he feels them too."  
  
His eyes began to fill with tears. He looked down as he continued talking. "And you actually are happy. It's like the first two years of your life never existed. Everything's perfect. That is, until five years later, your parents are killed." Blake looked up at her. Tori could see tears streaking down his cheeks. "So, now, you tell me that vengeance is wrong or whatever."  
  
Tori felt her heart ache for him and all the pain he had been through. Blake hid his face in the crook of his arm as all his emotion came out. Emotions that he had kept inside himself for so long.  
  
Tori scooted over to him.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said. She gave him a sideways hug. Blake rested his head against her arm and let all of his tears and pain come out. She held him in her arms comfortingly for a long while, until she felt his tears subside. She laid her head against his and held him. Blake lifted his head up, causing her to lift hers as well. He looked into her eyes. Tori looked into his. Before either of them realized it, their faces inched closer and they kissed.  
  
The kiss was sweet, gentle, yet filled with desire and passion. Blake's tongue slowly slid past her lips and gently probed her mouth. Tori responded with equal actions. The two kissed for what seemed like forever. The slowly pulled away, panting for air.  
  
"What was that..?" Tori panted.  
  
"I dunno." Blake replied. "But..It was nice." He said. The two were both unsure of what exactly was going on. First they were fighting about Blake's desire to murder Sensei, and then they were hugging, and now, kissing? It all just didn't compute in Tori's head. But, she had to agree with Blake. It was nice.  
  
"Yeah..It was." She said. The two kissed again. Suddenly, the fog that had entered Tori's mind when the kiss began cleared. She opened her eyes and sat up. "Oh my god." She said.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"I.....I can't do this. It's bad, very bad. Wrong on so many many levels." She babbled.  
  
"Wow, didn't know I was such a horrible kisser." Blake said.  
  
"No, that was good.." She paused. "That's not what I meant! I mean, we can't kiss..We're enemies. Besides, it's obvious that was just a manifestation of us realizing that it's quite possible we're going to be stuck together on this island, and we took the whole 'getting along' notion a little too far." Blake looked at her.  
  
"Is that all that it was for you?" He asked. Tori looked at him. The truth was, no, it wasn't just that. But she wasn't about to let herself fall for some guy who was hell bent on killing her Sensei. It just sounded like something out of a Greek tragedy, or Shakespeare, or both.  
  
"I.......I don't know." She replied.  
  
"We could always try it again, see if that helps." Blake said.  
  
"I don't think so." Tori responded. Blake sighed and leaned his head against the side of the cavern.  
  
"Can't blame a guy for trying." He said. Tori looked at him.  
  
"Besides, how do I know this isn't just some trick? Like, you're thinking 'ohh, get the blue ranger chick to fall for me, and then she'll help us get rid of sensei'." She said. Blake looked at her.  
  
"Hey, I could say the same about you. How do I know this isn't some trick to lure me to your side? Play coy and innocent, then kiss me."  
  
"I did not kiss you." She said. "You kissed me."  
  
"We kissed each other." Blake pointed out. "There's two of us, two sets of lips, two ton-"  
  
"OK I get the point, Navy Boy." She said. "Either way, it can not happen again." She said. As if to accentuate that, she moved away from him.  
  
"Why not?" Blake asked. Tori looked at him incrediously.  
  
"Why not?" She asked. "Where do I start? Do I go with the fact that you're Lothor's lapdog, or the fact that this was obviously just something that came out of emotions running high and everything? Pick your reason."  
  
"Is sarcasm your defense mechanism or something?" Blake asked. Tori sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Let's just drop it, all right?" She said. "It was a mistake. It's never happening again."  
  
"That's too bad." He said. He moved closer to her. "Because, I don't think it was a mistake. And, I would like it if it happened again." Tori looked at him. She looked into his eyes and saw he wasn't being sarcastic or anything. She looked down. The truth was, she felt the same way.  
  
"Was your end a trick?" She asked, giving in.  
  
"No, yours?" He asked. Tori shook her head. "Was it a manisfastation of the possibility of us staying here for a while?"  
  
"No.." Tori muttered. Blake reached over and touched her hand.  
  
"Same here." He kissed her.  
  
"Oh great, I'm falling for the enemy, that's just wonderful." Tori said.  
  
"If it's any consolation, I fell for the enemy before I met the enemy." Blake smiled Tori couldn't help smile as well.  
  
"It's not. But, thanks." She said as they kissed again.  
  
At that moment, they didn't care about whatever awaited them back home. They didn't care that they were supposed to be enemies. They didn't care about anything except one another's taste at that moment. 


	11. Kisses, Fists and Memories

Blake and Tori's kissing escalated to making out. The two were heavily wrapped up in the moment.  
  
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"All right." Cam announced. "I put in Blake's frequency. We should be able to get their location in a bit." He said.  
  
"Great." Dustin said.  
  
"Let's just hope Tori's all right." Shane said, he gave a look at Hunter as if to say what he really meant was 'your brother better have not hurt her.' Hunter caught that and looked at him.  
  
"Blake's not some heartless bastard." Hunter said. "He wouldn't attack an unarmed person. We do believe in fighting fair, ya know." Cam turned and looked at him.  
  
"And stealing my plans for the tsunami cycles was just so fair." He said sarcastically. Hunter simply glared at him.  
  
"Hey, your boy left his bag with us." He said. At that, Dustin had to glare at him as well.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know my bag had a sign on it that said 'if found, please take contents'."  
  
"Whatever." The guys seemed to be having a silent glaring contest. Shane, Cam and Dustin glaring at Hunter, and Hunter just looking off in the distance, annoyed with them. Dustin rolled his eyes and turned to Cam's computer. His eyebrows shot up at what he saw.  
  
"Uh, Cam, since when does your satellite thing pick up porn?" He asked. That seemed to get everyone's attention. Hunter and Shane gathered around Dustin and Cam at the computer. The four boys looked at the screen. They saw two people, a guy and a girl, making out like crazy in some sort of cave or something.  
  
"Uh dude, I don't think your dad would be to happy with you using the computer for that kind of stuff." Shane said. Cam rolled his eyes.  
  
"Something must be wrong with the system." He went to adjust the frequency, and then stopped. The guy seemed to be kissing the girl's neck, and they all saw the girl's face. "..Or not..." He said.  
  
"Is that...." Dustin said, his eyes wide.  
  
"..Tori...?" Shane said, finishing Dustin's sentence. Hunter saw a clear look at the guy.  
  
"Blake?!" He exclaimed.  
  
"Tori and Blake, dude that's just wrong." Dustin said.  
  
"My bro is macking with the enemy." "I can't believe Tori's making out with the enemy." Hunter and Shane said at the same time. They glared at each other.  
  
"Well, it looks like Tori doesn't need saving at the moment.." Cam remarked.  
  
"Unless Blake's forcing himself on her." Dustin said, glaring at Hunter. Hunter narrowed his eyes angrily at him.  
  
"Are you calling my brother some sort of rapist or something?" He growled.  
  
"Well, Tori's way too smart to willingly kiss him, so, yeah, guess I am." Dustin countered.  
  
"Oh, you are dead." Hunter said. He grabbed Dustin's collar and the two started fighting. Shane and Cam looked at each other, then at Hunter and Dustin who where rolling on the floor, throwing punches and kicks at one another, but, as always, Hunter was the one causing the most damage.  
  
"You get Dustin, I'll get Hunter." Shane sighed. Cam nodded. They went to the two and tried prying them apart. Hunter had Dustin pinned on the floor and was punching his face. Shane grabbed Hunter around his waist and yanked him off of Dustin. Dustin pulled himself to a sitting position. His nose was bleeding, and it looked like he'd be getting a black eye soon. He got up and tried to get at Hunter, who was practically ready for him. Cam grabbed Dustin and tried to hold him back. Shane let go of Hunter and stood between Hunter and Dustin, seeing Cam was having trouble keeping a hold of Dustin.  
  
"Dustin, calm down." Cam said. Sensei could hear the commotion and left his cage to see what was going on. He saw Dustin and Hunter trying to get at each other.  
  
"What is going on here?" He asked in a loud stern tone. The four boys froze and looked at him. Dustin growled and shook off Cam.  
  
"I'm out of here." He said. "Call me when Blake's gotten off of Tori." And with that he stormed out of Ninja Opts. Cam looked at his father.  
  
"It's nothing dad." He said. Sensei gave his son a regarding look and nodded. He went back to his cage. Hunter sat down. He touched his lower lip and saw blood from where Dustin had managed to get in one punch. Shane went to the bathroom in Ninja Opts and brought back a damp cloth. He handed it to Hunter. Hunter looked at him for a moment and took it, holding it against his lip.  
  
"You're proberly going to get on my case for hitting Dustin, aren't you?" He muttered. Shane sat down and shook his head.  
  
"No." He said. Hunter looked at him, somewhat surprised. "Dustin was out of line for saying that about your brother." He said. "He was just a little ticked. Out of the three of us, he and Tori have known each other the longest. There practically like brother and sister, so, he gets a little protective of her sometimes."  
  
"Tori isn't exactly miss damsel in distress though." Hunter commented. Shane chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. Which has been caused for a lot of Tori beating on Dustin for being so over protective."  
  
"I'd pay to see that." Hunter chuckled. The two looked at each other. They were supposed to be enemies, yet here they where, laughing and joking like best friends. Shane looked at Cam.  
  
"You think you'd be able to teleport them back here?" He asked. Cam shook his head.  
  
"Don't know the schematics of the island."  
  
"Well what about if you teleport us and we get them?" Hunter asked.  
  
"That could work." He nodded.  
  
"Let's wait till Dustin cools off and comes back." Shane said. Hunter nodded agreeably.  
  
"Or until those two are in a less.friendly..position." Cam added. They looked at the screen, seeing those two were still going at it.  
  
"Don't those two ever come up for air?" Shane commented.  
  
"Apparently not.." Hunter said.  
  
"We really shouldn't be watching this." Cam said, his eyes still trained on the screen.  
  
"Yeah.." Hunter said. "It's got to be all kinds of wrong watching my brother making out with your little blonde friend."  
  
"It's like a train wreck." Shane commented. "You know you shouldn't watch, but you can't take your eyes off it."  
  
"Tori's going to kill us all when she finds out we watched." Cam said.  
  
"So, basically there won't be any rangers left." Hunter said. "She'll kill Dustin for being overprotective, and us for being voyeuristic idiots."  
  
"Yup." Cam and Shane said at the same time.  
  
"I hope you boys are giving Tori and Blake some privacy." Came sensei's voice from the other room.  
  
"Uh huh." They said, still watching the screen.  
  
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Dustin walked toward the lake. He was fairly shaking with rage. His mind could not comprehend Tori making out with Blake. He wanted to believe Blake was forcing himself on her. But from the look on her face and their reactions she was enjoying his attention.  
  
Tori was like a sister to Dustin. They had known each other since..ever.  
  
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Dustin was eight years old. He and his family had just moved from Colorado and he had just started third grade at his new school. He wasn't having a good first day. Kids had made fun of his name, and just been generally mean. He sat alone in the recess yard.  
  
"Hey, I found Waldo!" Came a voice. He looked up to see one of the kids in his class; his name was Jordan, and some other kids.  
  
"You're so funny, dude." He said sarcastically. He stood up and went to leave. Jordan didn't seem to like his attitude. He kicked at Dustin's leg, knocking him down. The boys started fighting. Jordan sat on him and started punching Dustin gut. Dustin tried to fight him off.  
  
"Hey, back off, Jordie." Came a voice as someone yanked Jordan off of Dustin. Dustin looked up to see a blonde girl in a short sleeve shirt and overalls.  
  
"Oh, sorry Victoria didn't know Waldo here was your little boyfriend!" Jordan challenged. The other kids laughed and made kissing noises.  
  
"I thought he was yours." The girl smirked, cocking an eyebrow. Jordan growled and charged at her. She stepped out of the way and Jordan went sprawling on the ground. She planted her foot on his back, keeping him on the ground. "I think you should apologize to him." Tori said.  
  
"Ms. Hanson." Came a stern voice. The girl gasped and spun around to see their teacher, Miss Lewis. She peered down at the girl through her spectacle glasses. "Kindly take your foot off of Mr. Anderson so I can take you to see the principal where we can discuss your tendency to terrorize fellow students." Dustin jumped up.  
  
"Uh.. Miss Lewis," he said. She looked at him. "She wasn't fighting..We were all just playing a game." He said. Miss Lewis narrowed her eyes at him, then looked at Jordan.  
  
"Is this true?" She said. Jordan, not wanting to admit a girl did this to him, or be a tattle tail, nodded.  
  
"Uh huh." He said. He stood up.  
  
"Very well." Miss Lewis said. "Try to be less violent then." She said as she left. Jordan glared at the girl.  
  
"This isn't over." He snarled as he and his friends left. Dustin looked at the girl.  
  
"Hey." He said. "Thanks for helping me there." He said. "I'm Waldo." He said.  
  
"I'm Tori." She said. She smiled good naturally. "Don't mind Jordan. He's a jerk." Dustin smiled.  
  
"Seems like you know how to deal with him." He said. Tori grinned.  
  
"No one messes with me." She said.  
  
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Tori stood by as Dustin rode his dirt bike down the hill. They where 12 and Dustin was racing against Jordan Anderson, Luke Wallace and Kenny Zang. Dustin was way ahead all three of them. Tori laughed as Dustin crossed the finish line. The three boys rode up to him and glared.  
  
"You cheated, Waldo." Luke said. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"No one likes sore losers, boys." She said. Jordan looked at her.  
  
"Stay out of this." He said. Tori grinned and walked over, throwing her arm around Dustin.  
  
"You're just angry you're not fast enough for my bud, Dusty here." She said.  
  
"Dusty?" Kenny said.  
  
"Yeah, cause you all just ate my dust." Dustin smiled. The guys rolled their eyes.  
  
"Let's go." Jordan said. The three of them turned around and left.  
  
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"So, are you and Jordan a thing?" Dustin teased. He and Tori where 14. They where walking around the park. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"Bite me." She said. "I wouldn't kiss him if my life depended on it." She said. "He's such a jerk."  
  
"Well, he's in love with you." Dustin chuckled. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"Whatever." She said. She cocked an eyebrow. "But I hear Amanda Lawson's in love with you." She smiled. Dustin looked at her.  
  
"What?" He asked. "Are you serious?" He asked. Tori grinned.  
  
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." She smiled. Dustin opened his mouth to say something.  
  
"Look out!" Came a voice. Tori and Dustin turned around to see a guy skateboarding down a hill. But he didn't seem to be in much control of his board. He barreled towards them. Tori jumped aside. Dustin, on the other hand, hadn't been fast enough. They guy collided with Dustin and the two fell on the ground. The guy pushed himself up and helped Dustin to his feet. "Hey, man, sorry." He said sincerely. "You OK?" He asked. Dustin dusted himself off and nodded, and gave a friendly smile.  
  
"Yeah, no worries dude." He said. Tori walked over.  
  
"Nice skating, man." She chuckled. The guy grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I rule." He said. He looked at Tori and gave a smile. "I'm Shane by the way." He said. Tori smiled back.  
  
"I'm Tori." She said. The two shook hands and shared a look. Dustin looked at them and rolled his eyes.  
  
"And the guy who you knocked down is Dustin, in case you wanted to know." He said. Shane blinked and looked at him.  
  
"Uh, right." He said sheepishly.  
  
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Dustin sat in the skate park as Shane and Tori where hanging out. He was feeling a little jealous. It wasn't that he liked Tori, no. It was that since they had met Shane a few weeks ago, they where hanging out a lot. Shane set his board out in front of her.  
  
"You think you can do this?" He asked after Tori had playfully made fun of his skating.  
  
"Oh yeah." Tori smiled. She walked over and stepped on. She skated forward a bit and even made it up and down a ramp. Shane went over to her, impressed.  
  
"Wow." He said.  
  
"I surf." She said. "So, just imagine water instead of concrete, and you're good." She smiled. Tori stepped off the board and tried kicking it up, only to have the board slam into her kneecap. "Ow." She said, falling onto her butt. Shane laughed and kneeled to her.  
  
"How graceful." He said.  
  
"I'm a surfer, not a skater. I never have to kick my board up, thank you very much." She smiled. Shane and Tori must've forgotten Dustin was there, because they seemed to be extra flirty.  
  
"I'd like to see you surfing some time." Shane smiled. Tori looked up into his eyes. The two got closer and kissed. Dustin's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, don't mind me sitting here, continue kissing." Dustin said loudly. Shane and Tori broke apart and looked at him. They both looked at him apologetically. Dustin rolled his eyes and left.  
  
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Dustin blinked as his memories faded slightly. He remembered that after that day, Tori and Shane had both spent the night calling him and trying to apologize for what happened. After over 20 ignored calls from them, he had finally talked to Tori. He told her he just hated that Shane was coming between their friendships. Tori promised Shane wouldn't. She swore that nothing would come between their friendships.  
  
Shane and Tori went out for nearly six months. At the beginning they where flirty and lovey dovey together. But, after the first month or so, Tori and Shane began interacting just like Tori and Dustin would, like friends. So, they broke up, realizing that they would rather be friends. And they had been friends. All three of them had been friends for almost three years now.  
  
Dustin sighed, looking out into the lake outside Ninja Opts. He knew that Blake hadn't forced himself on Tori. But, the anger that she had been captured and everything just made him see it like he was, and he lashed out at Hunter. He took a deep breath, feeling relatively calmer now. He went back to Ninja Opts.  
  
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Dustin walked into Ninja Opts and saw Cam, Shane and Hunter watching the screen.  
  
"Don't tell me they're still going at it." He said. Shane, Cam and Hunter turned to him. Hunter glared at him, still not happy with the guy who had accused Blake of forcing himself on Tori. Dustin sighed and looked at him. "Uh, hey, sorry about that." He walked over and stuck his hand out to him. "I'm a jerk. Truce?" He asked. Hunter continued glaring at him.  
  
"I'm thinking of other things beside jerk, so I suggest you take your hand out of my face." Dustin sighed and took his hand back. 


	12. How can something so wrong, feel so righ...

Tori and Blake sat in the cavern together. After making out for what seemed like hours-very sweet, incredible, beautiful hours-the two stopped and just sat there holding one another. Tori wanted to enjoy being in his arms, but something that she had pushed back in her mind began clawing it's way to the surface.  
  
"What are we going to tell the others?" She asked softly. Blake looked at her. He looked as though he had been pondering the same thing.  
  
"I don't know." He said honestly. "I really don't.."  
  
"I doubt their going to be very happy about it." Tori sighed.  
  
"Oh yeah." Blake agreed. Tori thought for a second and smiled.  
  
"It feels like we're Romeo and Juliet or something." She chuckled gently. Blake smiled.  
  
"Right. Although, I kind of hope we don't have to parallel the ending." He said. Tori laughed.  
  
"Yeah, the whole dying young thing doesn't sound that appealing." She joked. Blake laughed. He held her hand up and kissed the back of her palm gently.  
  
"I don't want anything to come between us." He said, his voice in a serious tone. Tori looked at him.  
  
"But, there is." She said. Blake looked down.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We're fighting on opposite sides here. You want to kill my sensei, and I have to stop you." Blake didn't like the way this was all sounding, he looked up at her fear in his eyes.  
  
"Do you regret what just happened just now?" He asked. Tori looked into his eyes, seeing his fear. She thought for a bit and then leaned in and kissed him.  
  
"No." She whispered. She leaned back against him. "I just wish the circumstances where different."  
  
"Right." He said, feeling a little at ease at the fact that Tori wasn't regretting their kissing.  
  
"I kind of don't want to go back now." She said softly. "I mean, back home and all, we have to fight, but not here. Here we can just be here and be happy." There was a bit of bitterness and pain in her voice. She had been attracted to Blake the moment they met at Storm Chargers. And when she found out he was the navy thunder ranger, she had been hurt. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for the bad guy. But..He wasn't bad. He saved her. And now they were together, and she didn't want to let that go. But she knew she'd have to.  
  
"The idea sounds appealing." Blake smirked, trying to cheer her up. "We can stay here, start our own civilization." He said suggestively. Tori laughed.  
  
"Don't count your chickens buddy." She laughed. "Just because we made out doesn't mean we're suddenly going to start sleeping together or something."  
  
"A guy could hope." Blake grinned. Tori smacked his arm playfully.  
  
"And a girl can kick the guy's butt, don't go there." She smiled sweetly. Blake laughed.  
  
"Right." He said. "Mental note: Don't tick off a girl who could easily wipe the floor with you."  
  
"Correct." Tori said. She laid her head against his shoulder.  
  
"Although," Blake began, smirking. "Hunter and I have been giving you guys a run for your money."  
  
"Who's to say I haven't been going easy on you?" She smirked.  
  
"Well, have you?" He asked.  
  
"Maybe." She laughed. "I'm too comfortable in this spot to get up and prove to you that I so could kick your ass though."  
  
"Yeah, I could think of better things to do then fight." Blake smiled as he kissed her.  
  
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Cam finally teleported the three guys to the island. After almost an hour of watching Blake and Tori making out, they were relived to see they decided to take a break. Dustin had jokingly suggested that they get there before those two decided to go for another go at it, and the others whole- heartedly agreed.  
  
"So, where do you think they are?" Shane asked the other two.  
  
"They looked like they were in some sort of cave." Hunter said.  
  
"All right, let's look for a cave." Dustin said. They headed deeper into the island.  
  
They stopped as they finally saw a cave. They looked at each other.  
  
"Should we go in and see if they're in there?" Dustin asked. Hunter and Shane looked at him. The two took a step back.  
  
"After you." Shane said. No part of him wanted to walk in there to see Tori and Blake in the middle of round two of their Make-out Fest.  
  
"Me?" Dustin blanched. "Why?"  
  
"You've known Tori the longest." Hunter pointed out.  
  
"Oh yeah." He turned to go to the cave and stopped. "Wait a minute!" He said. "You're Blake's brother, so you've known him the longest!"  
  
"Damn, I was hoping you were dumb enough not to realize that." Hunter smirked. Dustin gave him a dirty look.  
  
"All right, all right, there's got to be a fair way to do this." Shane said. "The one who's closest to the cave goes. Have fun Dustin."  
  
"What?!" Dustin said. "That's not fair!"  
  
"You are closest man." Hunter said.  
  
"Stop forcing me to go in there." Dustin said. He sighed. "How about rock, paper scissors?" He suggested.  
  
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Blake and Tori looked up, hearing voices from outside the cave. Familiar voices. They looked at each other.  
  
"You don't think.." Blake began.  
  
"Apparently the guys found us." Tori said. They got up and walked out of the cave to see Hunter, Shane and Dustin huddled together arguing about something.  
  
"Dude! Paper so beats rock!" Dustin yelled. Hunter looked at him.  
  
"What the hell? Where's the logic in that? Rock is indestructible! It could crush the puny paper."  
  
"No." Dustin said. "Rock beats Scissors, Scissors beats Paper, and Paper beats rock! Man, don't you know anything?" He said.  
  
"Uh...Guys?" Tori said. The three froze and spun around, seeing Blake and Tori looking at them, their expressions a mix of amusement and confusion. Tori gasped slightly at the sight of Dustin's bruised and battered face. "What the hell happened to you?" She asked. The three guys looked at each other uneasily.  
  
"Uh, I kinda got into a fight." He said. Blake seemed to catch the look Hunter and Dustin gave one another.  
  
"You two..?" He asked. Tori glared at Hunter. Yes, he was the brother of the guy she was into, but no one beats on her friends and gets away with it.  
  
"Well, yeah." Hunter said, not seeing reason to deny it.  
  
"Why?" Tori said coldly. Hunter opened his mouth.  
  
"Uh, let's not dwell on that." Dustin said quickly. He knew that Tori would maim him if she knew he was being overprotective again. He was still sore from the time he decked that guy Dill for being all touchy feely with her. Tori went brutal on him the following day during training. Shane on the other hand, found Tori beating Dustin quite comical, and couldn't pass up the chance to see it.  
  
"Dustin said something along the lines of Blake forcing himself on you and Hunter got a little ticked off." Tori shot a look at Shane.  
  
"You saw us?!" She exclaimed. Shane's smirk disappeared.  
  
"..Uh...Just for a second..Then we totally respected your privacy and left you two alone." Dustin glared at him.  
  
"Oh no you don't." Dustin said. "I'm not going to be the only one getting a beating here. You guys where so watching them the whole time!" Hunter and Shane glared at Dustin.  
  
"Shut up, dirt boy." Hunter said lowly. Tori's jaw hung open. Her eyes narrowed into small angry slits. Dustin and Shane saw this and their faces clouded with fear.  
  
"Uh oh." Shane muttered.  
  
"What?" Hunter asked cluelessly, not afraid of Tori like the other two where.  
  
"Well, you know how when the Incredible Hulk gets really mad he turns green?" Dustin said, he and Shane backed away slowly. "Well, it's like that. When Tori gets that look, severe bodily harm will follow." Hunter smirked and rolled his eyes.  
  
"As if she could-" He turned to look at her, and even he was a little freaked. "OK, she is a little scary." He said. "But still, I mean, come on, she's just one girl." Hunter said. He could take Tori on with one hand behind his back. He and Blake had been trained since they were children. Blake stood by Tori.  
  
"Don't you mean, one girl and one guy?" Blake said. Hunter looked at him.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, invasion of privacy isn't cool, bro." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"You wouldn't fight your own brother." Hunter smiled. He saw that Blake wasn't joking. "Dude.."  
  
"Man, take it from us, run fast, run far." Shane said.  
  
"Sorry, unlike you two chickens, I'm not a coward." Hunter replied.  
  
"Suit yourself, see ya." Dustin took off.  
  
"Man, any other time I would so prove you wrong but.." Shane cast a look at Tori. "Bye." He ran away. Tori was hot on their heels. Hunter looked at Blake. Blake walked over to him, his face stone and emotionless.  
  
"Since when do you spy on me?" Blake asked.  
  
"Right about the same time you started making out with the enemy." Hunter said curtly.  
  
"She's not the enemy. This has nothing to do with them." Blake pointed out.  
  
"They're in our way, aren't they? Therefore, they are the enemies." Hunter replied.  
  
"This doesn't have to be like this." Blake said. Hunter sighed angrily.  
  
"You want to change sides and be with your little girlfriend, go right ahead. But I'm not letting that creep get away with murdering mom and dad."  
  
"I'm not trying to turn against you." Blake said.  
  
"Then what are you trying to do? You have a choice here, bro. Either stick with me and avenge our parents deaths, or stick with the Wind Losers. And just so you know, if you do go with them, I can't guarantee I won't fight you."  
  
Blake looked into his brother's eyes. He knew Hunter meant it. To him, the wind rangers where the enemy, if Blake decided to go with them, he'd be the enemy too. And Hunter would come at him just as hard, if not harder, as the others. He closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't know what to do. Hunter was his only family left. But Tori..Tori was special. He really wanted to be with her. Blake opened his eyes. He knew that right now there was only one decision he had to go with, even if part of him didn't want to.  
  
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"Man, you'd think she'd be happy to see us, seeing as we came here in hopes of saving her." Shane said as he and Dustin ran away from Tori.  
  
"Come on Tori, we're your buds, you can't kill us!" Dustin yelled back at her.  
  
"Watch me." Tori grunted as she leaped up and landed perfectly right in front of them. The guys stopped. Tori glared at them. "You," she said, looking at Dustin. "Have no right to make any assumptions or be so freaking protective of me."  
  
"Tori, you're my friend." Dustin said. "You're like my sister. Forgive me for wanting to look out for you." Tori sighed, her face softening slightly.  
  
"Dusty." She said, going to what she'd call him before he decided to go by Dustin. "I'm a big girl. I don't need you looking out for me."  
  
"Well, old habits die hard." Dustin smiled. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"Need I remind you who was the one who got Jordan to not beat you senseless in third grade?" She smirked.  
  
"Hey, I was going to get him, I had him in this false sense of security, ready to pound when you showed up."  
  
"Sure, sure."  
  
"All right, so, everything's cool now." Shane smiled, throwing an arm around Tori's shoulders. "Great." He said. Tori chuckled and tossed his arm off.  
  
"I don't think so." She said. "You're not off the hook for being a voyeuristic pervert, and Dustin, though his intentions where good, is still a overprotecting buffoon."  
  
"Knew that was too easy." Shane muttered.  
  
"But, you wouldn't hurt your best friend, would you?" Dustin asked. Tori laughed.  
  
"No, I wouldn't." She said. She walked past them and started heading back to Blake and Hunter. Shane and Dustin gave a sigh of relief and turned to follow, only to have a gigantic wave crash on them.  
  
"Dude!" Dustin sputtered as the wave pulled away to reveal him and Shane covered in seaweed. "Using your powers. Not cool."  
  
"Besides, you just said you wouldn't hurt us."  
  
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't splash ya." Tori grinned, looking at them over her shoulder.  
  
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The three of them walked back to the cavern, Tori laughing, and Shane and Dustin grumbling as they sloshed behind her. They saw Blake and Hunter standing there, staring at them. Tori felt something was off and walked over to Blake.  
  
"You look so serious. What's wrong?" She asked. Blake said nothing.  
  
"Why don't you just step off, girlie?" Hunter said. "Blake had his fun with you and now everything's back as it should be." Dustin and Shane looked at each other, then at the scene before them. What the hell was going on?  
  
"What are you talking about?" Tori said.  
  
"You really didn't think that Blake was going to just switch sides just because you two played kissy face, did you?" Hunter sneered. Tori's jaw tightened slightly, glaring at Hunter.  
  
"Why don't you let him talk?" She said. She looked at Blake. Blake couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. He kept them lowered to the sand beneath their feet. "What's going on?" She asked. "I thought you were growing a brain and realizing that a quest for vengeance is wrong. I thought we were going to try and find a way to-"  
  
"You don't regret what happened." Blake said, forcing his voice to sound cold and mean. "But I do." Tori looked at him.  
  
"What?" She choked out. Hunter smirked slightly.  
  
"Let's go. We've got buissness to attend to." He and Blake turned away. Shane and Dustin went to Tori who looked hurt and upset.  
  
"Are you ok?" Shane asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tori shook his hand away. She looked at her two friends, her eyes flashing with anger and hatred.  
  
"Tell me you've got my morpher." She said lowly.  
  
"Yeah." Dustin said.  
  
"Hand it over." She said.  
  
"Tori, let's just head back to Ninja Opts, and we'll set out a plan of action when you're not as-"  
  
"Fine I'll do this on my own." She said. She went after Blake's and Hunter's retreating forms.  
  
"We should stop her." Shane said.  
  
"She's beyond ticked off, does she ever listen to reason in that state?" Dustin replied.  
  
Tori caught up to the two guys and launched herself into a kick, slaming her foot against Hunter's back. He fell on the ground and looked at her. Blake turned and saw Tori in a fighting stance.  
  
"Oh, you're asking for it." Hunter growled, scrambling to his feet.  
  
"Attacking someone from behind? A little dishonorable, don't you think?" Blake said, putting an arm out to hold Hunter back.  
  
"You don't know squat about honor, so don't even start." Tori shot back.  
  
"You wanna take us on?" Hunter challenged. "How dumb are you?" Tori ignored Hunter.  
  
"You want to be a major asshole, Blake, that's totally up to you." She said, looking directly at Blake. "But don't think for a second that I'm just going to be a pushover and let you hurt Sensei and Cam."  
  
"Surprising you're not ticked at the geek too." Hunter smirked. "Seeing as he was enjoying the little show you two put on with the rest of us." Tori was a little shocked by that, but decided to ignore that for now, there where other matters to take care of.  
  
"Let's get out of here." Blake said, looking at Hunter. The two teleported off the island. Shane and Dustin ran over to Tori.  
  
"Them leaving..Not good." Dustin said.  
  
"What?" Tori asked.  
  
"Hunter knows where Ninja Opts is." Shane said. Tori's eyes widened. 


	13. Blake's choice

Cam heard the rush of teleporting behind him. He turned towards it.  
  
"So you guys found them-" He stopped as he saw only Blake and Hunter standing there.  
  
"Let's make a deal, you hand over the guinea pig and we won't be forced to hurt you." Hunter said. Cam's eyes widened as he realized they had turned on the others. He got into a fighting stance.  
  
"Now what kind of son would I be if I did that?" He asked.  
  
"The smart kind." Blake said.  
  
"I don't think so." Cam said. Hunter shrugged.  
  
"All right, have it your way." He said as he punched Cam in the face. Cam staggered back a bit and held his jaw. He glared at Hunter and went at him. He kicked and punched Hunter, but Hunter easily blocked all of his strikes. Blake went over and saw Sensei. He was in his cage. He looked up at the young man.  
  
"You should not be fighting against the rangers." He said. "They are not your enemies." Blake picked up the cage.  
  
"Shut it, ya house pet." He growled as he went to find Hunter had thrown Cam against the wall, knocking him out cold. Hunter looked up at his brother.  
  
"You get him?" He asked. Blake nodded.  
  
"Good, let's go before your girlfriend and her friends get here." Hunter said as they left.  
  
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Tori, Shane and Dustin appeared outside of Ninja Opts.  
  
"I can't believe you brought him here." Tori chastised.  
  
"We needed Blake's frequency o find you." Shane said. The three of them ran into Ninja Opts and saw Cam lying on the floor.  
  
"Oh my gosh." Tori gasped. She rushed to his side. "Cam, Cam." She shook him. "Cam, say something." Cam groaned as he slowly began to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes. Shane and Dustin went over to him as well and helped him to his feet. They led him to his computer chair.  
  
"What happened?" Shane asked.  
  
"The..Thunder Rangers." Cam trailed off. "They were here." Dustin left the group and went to look for Sensei. He punched the wall angrily when he saw Sensei was not there.  
  
"They took him." He groaned.  
  
"And this is why we don't bring the bad guys into our secret lair." Tori said. Shane looked at her.  
  
"Seeing as your tongue was down a 'bad guy's' throat just a little while ago, I really don't think you should talk."  
  
"Don't start with me." Tori said lowly. "I'm a very angry girl right now, don't think I won't take out my frustrations on you." Cam, his head beginning to clear, looked at them.  
  
"Fighting is not going to help my father, so knock it off." He said sternly.  
  
"Cam's right." Dustin said. He put a hand on Tori's shoulder. "Save your frustrations for those Thunder Turds."  
  
"Not a problem." Tori muttered.  
  
"Any idea where they might've taken him?" Shane asked Cam. Cam thought for a second. He looked at them.  
  
"Those two, being the 'honorable' ones they are, probably took him to the sacred Ninja resting place."  
  
"And that would be?" Dustin asked.  
  
"The Cavern of Lost Souls."  
  
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Blake and Hunter walked to the cavern. Blake held the cage containing Sensei at his side. Part of him felt like crap for hurting Tori. But, his loyalties laid with his family, his brother, Hunter. And he had to avenge the deaths of his parents.  
  
"Almost there." Hunter said. Suddenly flashes of yellow blue and red streaked by them, striking them with weapons, catching them by surprise. Blake and Hunter stumbled back. They were both greatfull they had morphed into their own ranger suits before hand. The streaks stood before them. There stood Dustin, Shane and Tori.  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Shane said.  
  
"Catching us off guard the only way you can touch us, eh, Shane?" Hunter sneered.  
  
"Stuff it, Thunder Blunder." Dustin said.  
  
"Oh. How witty." Hunter said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"You two take care of Hunter, Blake's mine." Tori said lowly.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dustin said, stopping her. "Now is not the time to be all 'hell hath no fury'. We have to save Sensei first, then you have full permission to severely harm the boy."  
  
"We'll distract them, you get Sensei." Shane said. Tori tried to protest, but was cut off by Hunter charging at Shane. Shane was ready for him and pulled out his sword. The two engaged in a sword fight.  
  
"Oh great, I get the airhead." Blake commented, staring at Dustin.  
  
"Airhead this, Jackass." Dustin growled. He fired his Ninja Beams, hitting Blake in the chest and knocking him down. Tori looked at her friend.  
  
"What happened to no 'hell hath no fury'?" She asked.  
  
"Screw that. He hurts my friends, I hurt him." Dustin said, reverting to his tried and true protective role for Tori. "Get Sensei back to Opts. I'll try and leave some of Blake for you to finish off." Blake got to his feet.  
  
"That the best ya got?" He taunted. Tori resisted the urge to maul Blake and tried to get to Sensei who Blake had dropped when Dustin blasted him.  
  
"Argh!" Shane grunted. Dustin looked over to see Hunter had blasted him. Shane was weakly trying to get back to his feet.  
  
"Shane!" Dustin tried to blast Hunter, but Blake tackled him, throwing off his aim. Tori spun around to see Blake on top of Dustin. She went to help him.  
  
"Get off him!" She yelled as she kicked Blake in the face. Blake wasn't expecting an attack from her and fell back. Tori stood between Blake and Dustin, guarding her friend. "You all right?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." Dustin said as he got up.  
  
"Go help Shane." Tori ordered.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Now." Dustin knew Tori meant business, and he knew not doing as she said would result in an angry Tori making him stay out of this fight by force. He sighed.  
  
"Be careful." He said softly as he went to Shane's aid. Tori stalked over to Blake who was starting to get back on his feet.  
  
"Get up." She said coldly. Blake looked at her.  
  
"I don't want to fight you, Tori." He said softly. Tori went to kick him, but he sidestepped out of her range.  
  
"Should've thought of that before you kidnapped Sensei." She grunted. She went to punch him. Blake caught her arm and spun her into him. He held her back against his chest. Tori struggled against his hold.  
  
"Stay out of this." He pleaded softly. "This doesn't involve you and me."  
  
"There is no you and me." Tori grunted as she slammed her shoulder against his chest, causing him to release her. "You basically said it yourself. You regretted what happened, right?" She asked rhetorically. She circled around him, ready to attack. Blake got into a defense stance.  
  
"Of course I didn't." Blake said. "But Hunter's the only family I've got. I can't turn on him."  
  
"So you decide to turn on me instead. How nice." She said sarcasticly. Shane saw Tori and Blake facing off. He left Dustin to handle Hunter and rushed over to her.  
  
"Tori! Get Sensei out of here, now!" Shane ordered. Tori clenched her fist. She wanted to beat Blake senseless, but she knew Sensei was the priority. She saw Sensei in his cage and went to run for it. Blake tried to stop her. Shane charged at him.  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough contact with her today?" Shane grunted as he landed a blow in Blake's stomach. Blake jumped back to his feet.  
  
"I said I didn't want to fight Tori. You, on the other hand, I have no problems beating the stuffing out of." Blake said, his arrogant tone returning.  
  
"Good to know." Shane said as he pulled out his storm blaster. Tori grabbed Sensei's cage.  
  
"Are you all right?" Tori asked, looking in on the guinea pig.  
  
"I am well, Tori." He assured her.  
  
"Let's get you out of here." Tori said. Shane aimed his blaster at Blake and fired.  
  
"Thunder Shield!" Blake called out as his lance turned into a hexagon shape and became a shield. The blast bounced right off of the shield, and went straight for Tori.  
  
"WHOA!" Tori exclaimed as the impact sent her sprawling on her back near the entrance of the cavern.  
  
"Tori!" Shane and Dustin called out to her worriedly. Blake dropped his lance.  
  
"No.." He muttered to himself. He didn't want to hurt her. Tori groaned as she weakly tried to get up with one hand while clutching Sensei's cage in the other arm. She couldn't and fell back.  
  
"Sensei.Are you OK?" She asked. Sensei simply nodded. Hunter saw Tori on the floor and tossed Dustin aside. He slowly walked over to her.  
  
"NO!" Dustin yelled. Tori looked over at Hunter and weakly stood up and ran the only direction she could, into the cavern. Hunter followed.  
  
"Tori get out of there!" Shane yelled. He went to Dustin's side and helped him up. The two headed to the cavern to try and help Tori. Blake ran in before they could even take a step in that direction.  
  
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Tori ran deep into the cavern. Her legs gave out and she fell on the ground. The cage fell out of her grasp.  
  
"Thanks so much for saving me the trouble of bringing him in here." Came Hunter's voice. Tori turned and saw him standing before her. She pulled the cage behind her and tried to back away from Hunter. She only succeeded in allowing her self to be cornered against the wall of the cave. "Now, kindly hand him over so I can destroy him." Hunter said as he got closer to her.  
  
"Over my dead body." Tori grunted.  
  
"All right then." He pulled out his lance. "Have it your way." He aimed the tip at her.  
  
"NO!" Came a voice as a dark blue streak appeared before Hunter. There was Blake, shielding Tori.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Hunter demanded.  
  
"I can't let you do this." Blake said. "You're not going to hurt her."  
  
"Blake, don't be an idiot. Get out of the way." Hunter ordered.  
  
"No way, bro." Blake replied. "You want to hurt her, then you'll have to get through me."  
  
"Stop acting all melodramatic!" Hunter yelled.  
  
"If I didn't let Lothor hurt her, what the hell makes you think I'm going to let you?" Blake yelled back defiantly. "So, now you have two choices. Either put down the lance, or become an only child." Shane and Dustin got to the cavern and stopped, seeing what was going on.  
  
"Blake, get out of the way, now." Hunter ordered.  
  
"No." Blake said. There was a silent sort of standoff. Finally, Hunter growled in frustration and plunged the lance into the sandy ground.  
  
"There, happy?" Hunter said lowly. Blake could feel himself let out a sigh of relief. He slowly got up and turned to Tori. Any expression she had was covered by the helmet of her suit. He gently took her arm and helped her to her feet. Tori stumbled a bit against him. He held her up by her waist.  
  
"Are you all right?" He asked softly, holding onto her. Tori nodded. Shane and Dustin went to her, shoving Blake away in the process of making sure Tori was all right.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Shane said. He pulled Tori's arm over his shoulder, allowing her to lean against him. Dustin bent down and picked up Sensei's cage.  
  
"You all right in there, Sensei?" He asked, raising the cage to his eye level.  
  
"Yes." Sensei nodded. "All though I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."  
  
"I heard that." Dustin chuckled softly. Hunter stood, blocking the exit of the cavern.  
  
"The hamster stays." He said.  
  
"A, he's a guinea pig, not a hamster, and B, yeah right." Dustin said.  
  
"Can we please just postpone the second round for goodness sakes?" Shane growled, annoyed.  
  
"You think this is a freaking game?" Hunter said. "I'm not letting that murderer out of here, unless it's in pieces."  
  
"Yeah, same could've been said about you if I hadn't stopped you." Blake said, speaking up for the first time since Shane and Dustin and pushed him away from Tori. Hunter looked at him.  
  
"What, are you a little Wind Loser now?" Hunter said, anger in his tone. He wasn't going to be happy if his brother of all people decided to now turn on him. Blake blinked and looked at his brother, feeling nothing but pity towards him.  
  
"No, but I guess I haven't let hatred and vengeance fill my heart like you have." Blake said, remembering what Tori had said to him when they were talking about his parents.  
  
"Well, that's good and well, Ghandi, but unlike you, I'm not going to dishonor our parents this way." Hunter said, and with that a dark red smoke filled the room. The others coughed.  
  
"Hey!" Dustin exclaimed as he felt Sensei's cage be snatched out of his hand. The smoke cleared slowly, and Hunter and Sensei where gone.  
  
"Dude, I'm really beginning to dislike your brother!" Dustin exclaimed, looking at Blake.  
  
"Come on, we've got to stop him." Shane said. He set Tori down. "Stay here." He and Dustin went deeper into the cave after Hunter.  
  
"Guys, wait." Tori groaned in frustration. "I'm really beginning to feel the gender inequality in this juncture." She muttered to herself. "Girl stays behind while manly men save the day." She jumped slightly as she felt Blake take her arm and pull it over his shoulder and putting the other arm around her waist.  
  
"Let's just hope the other's where in time to stop Hunter." Blake said as he helped Tori go after the others. 


	14. Truth and Consequence

"AHH!" Dustin yelled as he went sailing into the wall of the cave. Blake and Tori showed up and saw this.  
  
"Dustin!" Tori exclaimed worriedly. Shane was at Dustin's side, weakly getting up. Hunter had tossed him aside violently before doing the same to Dustin. Tori pulled out of Blake's grasp and went to Dustin and Shane. Blake looked at Hunter.  
  
"Bro, you've got to stop this." Blake said, trying to keep his tone calm. Tori looked at Blake and then at Hunter. Dustin groaned as he tried to get up.  
  
"He's got the crystal.." Dustin groaned. When Cam had told them about the Cavern of Lost Souls before, he told them of the crystal that could be used to drain the soul out of a Ninja..Killing them. Hunter looked at him.  
  
"That's right, dirt boy." Hunter replied. He turned to a small stone altar looking thing where he had placed Sensei's cage. He held the green crystal in his hands raising it over his head. "Goodbye, murderer!" He yelled.  
  
"No!" The other's exclaimed.  
  
"Hunter!" Came a voice. Hunter froze. The voice sounded so familiar. Blake looked up and gasped.  
  
"Oh my god.." He whispered. There, above the stone altar, floating in the air, where two people, a man and woman, shimmering beautifully. Hunter looked up, the crystal dropping from his hands onto the ground.  
  
"Mom..Dad?" Hunter whispered unsurely. Blake stood beside his brother, looking up at them in awe. Dustin, Shane and Tori looked at each other shocked.  
  
"Yes, my sons." Came the soft voice of Hunter and Blake's mother. "It is us."  
  
"How.I don't understand." Blake stammered.  
  
"We had to stop you from doing this." Their father said. "You cannot kill this Sensei."  
  
"What?" Hunter asked. "Why?"  
  
"Because he is not the one who killed us." Their mother said softly. "You've been lied to."  
  
"But.If he didn't...Who did?" Hunter asked.  
  
"The same man who lied to you." Their mother said.  
  
"Lothor." Their father concluded.  
  
"What?!" The two brothers exclaimed.  
  
"He lied to us." Hunter growled. Blake looked to see his parents beginning to fade.  
  
"Wait!" He pleaded. "Don't go! You.You can't..There's so much we have to talk about...Or something." He lost his parents so long ago, and now they where right before his eyes, he was desperate to hold onto them as much as he could. His mother looked on her youngest son sadly.  
  
"We must, Blake." She said softly.  
  
"We have watched over you both." Their father said. "Watched as you grew into the young men you are now, and we shall continue to watch over you forever."  
  
"Blake, Hunter, do not set your lives on simply avenging our deaths by killing those who took us away from you. Honor us, and yourselves, by doing good things, my dear sons."  
  
"Goodbye." Their father said. They both disappeared. There was a silence in the cave. Blake slowly turned and looked at Tori. Tori slowly got up, and without saying a word, went to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. Blake put his arms around her waist, returning the hug.  
  
"You were right." He said sadly. "Lothor lied to us." Tori held him tighter.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said. Hunter looked at Sensei.  
  
"I'm sorry." He muttered, ashamed of his actions. Sensei looked at him. Hunter was surprised to see what looked like understanding. He was so sure Sensei would despise him.  
  
"You were misguided and lied to, young man." Sensei said. "I can not fault you or your brother for the things Lothor convinced you of."  
  
"Guys, did you find my father?" Came Cam's voice over Shane's communicator. Shane brought the device up to his lips and spoke into it.  
  
"Yeah, he's all right." Shane said. He could hear Cam let out a deep breath. He had been worried about his father.  
  
"You should probably teleport him back to Opts, before anything else decides to jump out of the woodwork." Dustin said.  
  
"On it." Cam said. He tapped into Shane's frequency and used it to get his father's coordinates. After some clicking on his computer, Sensei was teleported back to Ninja Opts. Hunter looked back at the others, lowering his visor. They all saw the deep regret, guilt, sorrow and shame in his eyes. He looked at Tori.  
  
"I'm sorry." He said. He felt like an idiot for just saying that over and over again, but there wasn't anything else he could say. Tori pulled slightly away from Blake and looked at Hunter. She lowered her own visor and he saw forgiveness in her eyes.  
  
"It's all right." She said.  
  
"Let's go." Shane said as he and Dustin got up. Tori nodded and looked at Hunter and Blake. Both stood by unsurely. They didn't know what to do. Tori smiled and went over to Hunter. She put a friendly arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Come on." She said. Hunter smiled softly.  
  
"Are you good to walk?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Yeah, you did get hit pretty hard." Blake said. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"Don't tell me that I now have to have four guys worrying about me and everything." She groaned, taking her arm away. "I'm fine."  
  
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The five walked out of the cave together.  
  
"I still can't believe he lied to us." Hunter said.  
  
"The guy's an evil space alien, not exactly dripping with honesty and goodness." Dustin replied.  
  
"I mean..I guess what I mean is I can't believe we were stupid enough to actually believe his lies." Hunter sighed. Blake put a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
  
"You weren't stupid." Tori said. "Someone hurt you both when you were children by taking your parents away, and you didn't know who. Then suddenly someone tells you that Sensei was the murderer, and you go along with it. That's not stupidity. It's more like.." Tori paused for a second to think. "Desperation for closure, or answers.Or something."  
  
"She's right, bro." Blake said. "We just wanted someone to blame for our sadness, and Lothor presented us with a target."  
  
"Just so he'd have some rangers on his side." Hunter said.  
  
"Well, I thought I heard someone talking about me." Came a sarcastically jovial voice. The rangers all looked up to see Lothor floating a few feet in the air above them. "So, now you know the truth."  
  
"You.." Hunter growled, his eyes narrowing. He flipped his visor back up. "You just signed your death, man."  
  
"I don't think so." Lothor replied. "Kelzacks, attack." He called out. Kelzacks appeared.  
  
"God, can't we have just a break from fighting?" Dustin groaned.  
  
"Quit whining." Tori said. They all went and fought the Kelzacks. Lothor's eyes narrowed at Blake.  
  
"As for you, Navy Thunder Ranger. I don't take kindly to traitors." He said. Blake looked at him.  
  
"Wow, being called a traitor by a liar and a murderer, that's just so disappointing." Blake yelled.  
  
"You couldn't leave well enough on it's own, could you? Had to play the hero for your little damsel in distress. Foolish boy." Lothor chuckled, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, why don't you come down here and face me?" Blake yelled to him. Lothor chuckled again.  
  
"I think I'll just stay up here, thank you." He smirked. A ball of energy formed his hand. Blake stepped back. He reached for his lance, only to remember he had dropped it in the sand after Tori had been blasted. "Goodbye, Navy Ranger." Lothor said lowly as he released the ball of energy, aiming it at Blake. Blake dove out of the way. Lothor growled and threw more at him, only to have Blake dodge them. "Stay still you insect!" Lothor bellowed. Blake ran, trying to get to his lance when an energy ball hit his back, knocking him down.  
  
"Argh.." He grunted painfully.  
  
"That was just to make you stay put." Lothor laughed. "Now, say goodnight, Thunder Ranger." Lothor said lowly has a bigger, more powerful ball formed in his hands. Tori heard Blake groan and looked over to see Lothor about to throw a huge energy ball at him. She gasped.  
  
"Blake!" She screamed. Without thinking, she ran past the Kelzacks as fast as her legs could carry her. Blake weakly looked up to see Tori running to him. Lothor released the energy ball. It came towards him. Blake prepared himself for the impact, but it never came. Tori ran and jumped in front of Blake. Blake gasped in horror as the ball smashed against her. She didn't move.  
  
"Tori!" He cried out. Slowly she collapsed into Blake's arms, her ranger suit dematerializing. Blake held her and looked at her face. Her eyes where closed and some strands of her blonde hair fell over her face. He shakingly pushed her hair out of her face. "Tori, Tori, come on, wake up." He begged softly.  
  
"Hmm." Lothor grinned softly, not expecting things to turn out this way. "Well, why hurt your enemy physically, when you can always go for the heart." He chuckled to himself. Shane, Dustin and Hunter saw Blake trying to shake Tori's lifeless body.  
  
"Tori!" Dustin yelled. The three of them rushed to her. "Tori.Come on, say something." Dustin said softly. He could feel tears rising into his eyes at the thought of his best friend for almost a decade being dead.  
  
"Tori..Please.." Blake said, his voice sounding like he was on the verge of tears.  
  
"Well, this is a priceless moment. A fallen ranger and her grieving comrades." Lothor chuckled. Blake's head snapped up and he glared at Lothor. He slowly lowered Tori's body to the ground and stood up. He grabbed his lance.  
  
"You!" He growled. "You'll pay for this!" He raised the lance up, ready to hit him with the blasts.  
  
"Hmm, perhaps another time." Lothor said as he vanished. Blake stood staring at the sky.  
  
"I don't feel her pulse." Dustin said fearfully, breaking Blake out of his daze. He spun around and went back to them.  
  
"We better take her back to Ninja Opts.Maybe Cam can do something.." Shane said hopefully. Blake kneeled down and scooped Tori in his arms. Her head lulled back weakly as he held her in his arms.  
  
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AN: I'm probably going to get flames for killing Tori..lol. The fic's not done yet, more is too come ( 


	15. Life and Death

"Cam!" Shane yelled desperately as he and the others rushed into Ninja Opts. They where all out of their Ranger suits and in their Ninja suits. Cam saw Blake holding Tori.  
  
"What happened?" He asked.   
  
"Lothor.." Blake said through the lump in his throat. "He..He tried to get me and Tori jumped in the way." Tears spilled down his cheeks as he looked at her.   
  
"Is there anything you can do?" Dustin asked.   
  
"I can try." Cam said honestly. "Set her down over here." He said moving to the end of the long table in the middle of the room. Blake went over and set her down gently. He knelt down at her side and held onto her hand. Cam looked at him.   
  
  
  
"I need you to step back for a bit." He said gently. Blake looked at him as if he had suggested the worst possible thing ever. Hunter went over to his brother and pulled him to his feet, bringing him back to stand with him, Dustin and Shane. Cam hooked up a scanner to the computer and started up a program on the computer. He then slowly walked around Tori, dragging the scanner all over her still form. The room was silent as Tori's vitals where loaded into the computer. He set the scanner down and went to the computer. Blake took this time to resume his spot at Tori's side.  
  
"Give us some good news." Dustin said softly to Cam, staring at his best friend's pale face. Cam's eyes ran over the computer screen.  
  
"There's very little of it." He said sadly. "She's not dead…Yet."  
  
"Well, we have to get her to a hospital." Shane said. Sensei looked at him.  
  
"I am afraid that a hospital would not be able to help her right now." Sensei said sadly, he had seen the screen with his son.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Tori's still in there." Cam said, turning to look at the others. "Lothor's blast caused some damage to her body. But her soul, her spirit, her being, is still trapped in there."   
  
"Can't you do something?" Blake said, surprising them all, since he hadn't spoken a word since laying Tori down. "Lothor already stole my parents from me. I am not going to let him take another person I love." He said. They all looked at him, even more surprised. They had all thought what Tori and Blake had was just, well, affection. But apparently, they were wrong.   
  
"The soul can't survive long inside a dead body." Cam said, looking down.  
  
"Then we better work fast." Blake said, looking at him. Cam saw the determination, the sadness, the anger, the love in Blake's eyes. Cam sighed.  
  
"I have no idea where to start." He said defeatedly. Sensei thought for a moment and looked up.  
  
"There may be something that can help her." He said. Cam looked at his father.  
  
"What is it?" He asked. Sensei cast his eyes over at Hunter.  
  
"The crystal you held before, do you still have it?" He asked. Hunter blinked, not understanding what he was getting at.  
  
"No. I dropped it when our parents appeared."  
  
"I thought that thing drains the life away." Dustin said. "We're trying to save her, not kill her." He said. There was a slight edge of anger in his sarcastic tone. Sensei ignored his tone. He knew he was upset right now. He looked at all of the guys.   
  
"Yes, that is true. But its energies can be reversed to restore life." He said.   
  
"How?" Shane asked. Sensei said nothing as he jumped over to a table at the other side of the room where a lot of old scrolls lay. He scurried through the pile, looking for something. He finally emerged from the pile with an old tattered scroll in his paws.  
  
"This holds the secret to changing the crystal's energies." He said. He threw the scroll at them. Shane reached up and grabbed it. "You must hurry." Sensei said. "I'm afraid that Tori may not have much time left."  
  
"We have to take her back to the cavern." Hunter said. Cam nodded, standing up. Blake lifted Tori in his arms.   
  
"Come on." He said. The rangers all left Ninja Opts with Cam. Sensei watched them leave.  
  
"Good luck." He said softly to them.  
  
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Lothor stood at the viewing screen on his ship. He saw the five boys heading to the cavern with the girl's limp and lifeless body.  
  
"So, those Power Punks intend to save their little friend, eh?" He scowled. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"  
  
"Uncle." Marah said, raising her hand gently. "Why is it so important that she doesn't live?" She asked. Lothor sighed, annoyed at his niece's stupidity and turned to her and Kapri.  
  
"Don't you boneheads know anything?" He asked. "Forces of good, like the Power Rangers, always love and care about each other like a family." He shuddered. "Makes me sick actually. Anyway, their weakness is in that. You take away a member of a family, the others grieve and are inconsolable." He paused, making sure his idiot nieces understood. "Ergo," he continued slowly, "remove a ranger from the 'family', and the others will be too depressed and filled with grief to put up much of a fight against us."  
  
"Ohhhhhh." The two smiled, understanding.  
  
"I get it." Kapri smiled.   
  
"Good." Lothor said.  
  
"So, we're family." Marah said, smiling, thinking they'd finally get their uncle to be nice and appreciative of them for once. "Does that mean that if one of us was 'removed' you would be too depressed and filled with grief to fight?" Lothor looked at her.  
  
"I have to get Zurgane or someone to stop them." He said, changing the topic. He spun around and left the room. Marah's smile faded.  
  
"Hey!" She said. She and Kapri got up and ran after him. "Uncle!" They whined.  
  
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"Do you remember where you dropped it?" Cam asked Hunter exasperated. He, Hunter, Shane and Dustin where looking around the Cavern of Lost Souls searching for the crystal. Blake sat to the side of the cave, holding Tori close to him.  
  
"If I remembered, do you think I'd be on my hands and knees searching for it?" Hunter asked. Dustin sighed and kicked at any dirt or loose ground.  
  
"Where could it be? Dudes, this could take forever."  
  
"All right, next time I see the ghosts of my adopted parents, I'll remember to put anything I'm holding in my pocket, instead of just dropping it out of sheer shock, all right?" Hunter growled.  
  
"No one's saying this is your fault, Hunter." Shane sighed.  
  
"Can you guys just shut up and keep looking?" Blake snapped. "We may not have a lot of time left." He sighed and leaned back. Something sharp poked into his behind. "Ow." He said. He tilted sideways to see what was there.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hunter asked.  
  
"There's something here." Blake said. He placed a hand on the ground and pulled out the sharp object. He looked at it. His eyes widened a little. "Guys, I think I found the crystal." The others went over to him.  
  
"Great." Cam said. He took the crystal from him and unrolled the scroll his father gave them. Just then, something appeared in the tunnel leading to the cave. "What the…"  
  
"Hey everybody, ya miss me?" Came a voice. They all looked up to see the vine creature again.   
  
"Oh, this is just great." Shane muttered.  
  
"Don't you ever go away?" Blake growled in frustration.   
  
"Lothor doesn't want the pretty little ranger alive, so I'm here to stop you." The creature said joyously.   
  
"Don't think so." Hunter said, tightening his jaw.   
  
"Cam, think you can take care of the crystal and Tori while we distract the freak?" Shane asked.  
  
"Yeah." Cam nodded.   
  
"All right." Shane said. He looked at Dustin. "Ready?"  
  
"Always." The two stood up. "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" They yelled as they morphed into their ranger suits. Hunter looked at Blake, who was still holding onto Tori. He grabbed his brother's shoulder.  
  
"Come on, Cam will take care of her." He said. Blake hesitantly let her go as Hunter pulled him to his feet. "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" The two brothers called out as they morphed.  
  
"You think your colored suits will defeat me?" The creature taunted.   
  
"No, but these will." Shane said as he and Dustin brandished their Ninja Swords and Hunter and Blake brandished their lances.   
  
"We've got to try to get him outside." Blake said. "Away from Tori and Cam."   
  
"Right." Hunter said. They closed in on the monster, making him back up.  
  
"Hey!" The monster yelled. "Back off!"  
  
"Yeah, right." Dustin said. Soon, they all managed to get him out of the cave, leaving Cam to do his work with the crystal.  
  
"You can't defeat me." The creature taunted.  
  
"You wanna bet on that?" Dustin said as he charged at the creature with his Ninja Sword. The creature lashed one of his vines out and grabbed Dustin around the waist. "Arg!" Dustin grunted. The creature flung Dustin back.  
  
"What were you saying?" The creature taunted. "Ah!" He exclaimed as he felt two sharp pains in his back. He fell forward to reveal Hunter and Blake who had gotten behind the creature when he flung Dustin back. Shane went over to his friend and helped him up.  
  
"Dude, you all right?" He asked. Dustin nodded.  
  
"Man, that plant is mulch!" Dustin growled as he dusted himself off.  
  
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Cam sighed as he set the crystal on Tori's chest so as not to loose it in the dirt again. He looked at the scroll ready to change the crystal's energies when a green glow caught his eye. He looked up to see the crystal starting to light up, reacting to the young girl it was placed upon. Cam's eyes widened slightly. He pushed his glasses up and stumbled back instintivly as a green glow surrounded Tori's body.  
  
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The creature cried out as he stumbled back. He was getting the beating of his life from the four rangers.   
  
"That's it, I'm out of here." He said. And with that he vanished.  
  
"Come on, let's go check on Cam." Shane said. They all went back to the cave and saw Cam crawling back from Tori's body, which was currently surrounded by a glowing green orb.  
  
"What's going on?" Blake demanded.  
  
"I don't know, I just set the crystal down, and that started happening."   
  
"Did you reverse the energies?" Dustin asked. Cam shook his head.  
  
"I did nothing, it just started doing that." Blake's eyes widened.  
  
"You didn't reverse the energies?! You're killing her!" He ran over to Tori.  
  
"Blake, wait!" Hunter said. Blake didn't listen as he tried to get to Tori. The moment he came in contact with the orb, he was flung back by an unseen force.  
  
"Blake!" Hunter went to his brother's side as Blake pulled himself to his feet. "What happened?" Hunter asked.   
  
"I don't know." Blake said. "But…Something felt weird about that orb.." His voice trailed off.  
  
"What do you mean weird?" Shane asked. Blake looked at them.  
  
"It felt like it was helping her…" Blake muttered. Cam looked at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The energies……They reversed themselves…" Blake said, although he was just as confused as the others.   
  
"That's good, right?" Dustin said uncertainly. Cam looked over the scroll.   
  
"There's nothing here about….." He paused. "Never mind." He muttered.  
  
"What?" Shane asked.  
  
"It says here 'with unnatural circumstances such as death at the hands of powerful unnatural beings, if the soul still resides in the spirit of the dead, the crystal shall reverse itself and heal the wounded'." Cam looked up. "The crystal changed it's own energies."   
  
"So, she's going to be ok?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Let's hope so." Cam said. They all watched. Suddenly the orb fizzled and sparked as it died down. The others stood back for a moment. Tori didn't move. Blake went to her.   
  
"Tori?" He asked as he shook her gently. She wasn't responsive. He touched her neck. There was no pulse. Blake gasped. He looked at the others. "There's no pulse.." He whispered. They were all shocked. How could this not have worked? Cam blinked several times.  
  
  
  
"We……We were to late….." Cam said sadly. 


	16. Lost of a Loved one

AN: Sorry all, for some reason, ff.net is screwing with the quotaion marks and such. ())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))))))((((  
  
Blake laid Tori on one of the beds in the back of Ninja Opts. They had brought her back and told Sensei it hadn't worked. He had been saddened with them and told them to just lay her down. After that, he had retreated to his cage. Cam had said that that was his father's way of grieving- isolating himself from others.  
  
"What are we going to tell her parents?" Dustin stated, although whatever her parents would think didn't really matter. All that mattered was that his best friend was dead. Shane, himself, Hunter, Blake and Cam where all in the room watching over Tori.  
  
"There has to be another way.." Blake whispered. He sat by Tori's side and held her hand in his as tears spilled down his cheeks. "There has to be. She can't be dead….." Cam looked down and tried to keep his own sadness and tears in.  
  
"Maybe I….I can find something…With the scroll…" He muttered. Shane, Dustin and Hunter looked at him as he left the room. The three of them looked at Blake and got the feeling he wanted to be alone.  
  
"We'll go see if Cam needs help." Hunter said as the three left. Blake held Tori's hand.  
  
"Tori." He said softly. "Tori you can't be dead…You can't die…I need you…We all need you." He closed his eyes as more tears cascaded down his face.  
  
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Lothor laughed triumphantly.  
  
"Now, with the death of their teammate, the rangers will be no threat to us and our plans."  
  
"Yes, sir, everything's worked out perfectly." Whiplash laughed. Lothor glared at him.  
  
"Why are you so happy?" He asked.  
  
"Uh….Because we won?" Whiplash responded. Lothor smirked.  
  
"You ran away from the fight. I don't think you won anything." A ball of energy formed in his hands. "I'm sorry, but I cannot have cowards in my army."  
  
"Wait…Wait..Sir.." Whiplash pleaded. But Lothor ignored him. He launched the energy ball at him, vaporizing the being. "AH!" Was the last sound heard from him as he disappeared into nothingness.  
  
"Well, that's taken care of." Lothor said as he sat back in his throne.  
  
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After a while, Hunter, Dustin and Shane went back to the room and sat silently with Blake and Tori. Soon, the weeks events caught up to the four boys and they ended up falling asleep. Hunter, Shane and Dustin sat against the wall on the floor. Blake had tried to stay awake and just stay watching over Tori. He climbed into the bed next to her and held her close to him as tears continued to spill down his cheeks. Soon he also fell asleep.  
  
Cam rubbed his eyes tiredly as he continued analyzing the scroll. His father came and watched as he worked.  
  
"Cameron," he said, using his son's full name. "It is late, you should sleep."  
  
"I've got to find a way to bring Tori back." Cam insisted. "There has to be. Maybe there's something I missed…Or…Some loophole…Or something…" He sighed. Sensei placed a paw on his son's hand.  
  
"I know you want more then anything to help her." He said softly. "She is a powerful part of the rangers, but she is also a good friend." Sensei sighed. "When your mother fell ill, I tried everything, anything to help her. Any forms of medical treatment that could be found, prayer, anything. The loss of a loved one is never something one wants to believe." Sensei paused slightly, thinking of his wife. He looked at his son. "You should rest." He said as he went back to his cage. Cam sighed and tried to work on the scroll some more, but soon couldn't even keep his eyes open. He rubbed his eyes and went to his bedroom.  
  
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Tori's eyes fluttered open. She looked around to see a white room…If one could even call it that. It was more like white nothingness.  
  
"What the…Where am I?" She muttered as she sat up. She gasped as she saw three people standing by watching her. She recognized them instantly. "Oh, this can't be good." She muttered. 


	17. The Heart

"Hello, Victoria." Said one of the people. She was a pretty looking Asian woman with long dark hair. Tori recognized her from the picture in Ninja Opts.   
  
"Mrs. Wantanabe?" Tori whispered, truly astonished. It was Cam's mother. "But I.." She looked at the other two people, recognizing them from the cavern earlier. It was Blake and Hunter's parents. "…I don't understand." She whispered.  
  
"You died." Hunter and Blake's mother said softly. Tori jumped to her feet.  
  
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed. "I…..I can't be dead.." She stammered.   
  
"What are the last things you remember?" Mrs. Wantanabe asked. Tori took a deep breath.  
  
"Lothor…He was about to blast Blake, and I jumped in and………" She paused. "Oh man." She breathed. "I am dead."   
  
"You did a very brave and courageous thing by protecting our son." Blake's father said. Tori looked at him.  
  
"I…I had to." She whispered. She blinked and looked down slightly. She couldn't bare the thought of Blake dying. She looked back up. "I mean..It was the least I could do. He protected me when Hunter tried to.." She said, letting her voice trail off. The three smiled.  
  
"Just as you thought you could not bare the thought of Blake dying, he can not bear your death." Blake's mother said softly. Tori's eyes widened.  
  
"How did you…?"  
  
"The look in your eyes." She said. "And, well, we heard your thoughts." Tori paused.  
  
"All right, so I have to watch what I think around here?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Wonderful." She sighed as she sat back down. "So, now what?" She asked.  
  
  
  
"Well, normally, when one dies, their spirit goes to the next spiritual plane." Blake's father said.  
  
"You mean, like, Heaven? Reincarnation?" Tori asked.  
  
"It is not our place to tell." Cam's mother said. Tori was silent for a bit.   
  
"Wait a second, you said 'normally'. Am I missing something here?" She asked. The three were silent.   
  
"You are a important aspect of the power rangers." Cam's mother began. "You, Blake, Hunter, Dustin, Shane, even Cam." Tori was silent, waiting for her to continue.  
  
"Cam is the knowledge. The brain. Shane and Hunter are both strength, fighting hard and tough. Dustin is the optimist. He makes jokes and such in times of no hope in attempts to raise spirits. Blake is the loyalty and protection. He stood by his brother, but in the end knew he had to protect the one he loved." Tori's eyes widened slightly.   
  
"Love?" She stammered. "Me?"   
  
"Yes dear." Blake's mother said.   
  
"And you, Victoria," Cam's mother continued, "are the heart, the love, the hope. You are the soul of the entire group."   
  
"Wow, never really thought I played such an important role in this whole thing." Tori muttered.  
  
"You do." Blake's father stated.   
  
"Well," Tori said. "Not to be disrespectful, but, what does that do now? I seem to be in a position where I can't be of much help..You know, being dead and all." The three of them looked at one another, then at Tori.  
  
"As I said, you are an important part of the group. Without you, without any member of the group, it falls apart." Cam's mother said.   
  
"And we refuse to stand back and allow Lothor to win and conquer all." Blake's father said. Tori looked at them.  
  
"What are you saying?" She asked. No answer came. Instead, all Tori saw was a blinding white light.  
  
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Tori slowly opened her eyes. She could feel something soft, like a bed, under her. She also felt strong arms around her. She knew instantly it was Blake. She looked around briefly and saw she was lying in the backroom of Ninja Opts. She saw Shane, Hunter and Dustin sitting against the wall asleep. She turned slowly so as not to disturb Blake and looked at him. He was fast asleep at her side. She smiled softly. Cam's mother's words stayed in her mind. Blake loved her. That thought only made her smile more. The truth was, she loved him too. She got closer to him and kissed his lips gently. Blake's brow furrowed as the kiss awoke him. Blake's eyes opened to see Tori……Awake. Blake's eyes widened and he sat up quickly.   
  
"Tor…How…" He stammered as he sat up. Unfortunately, he had been on the edge of the bed. His quick movements resulted in him toppling off the bed onto the ground. "Ow." Tori gasped and sat up, she tried her best not to laugh. The crash awoke Hunter, Dustin and Shane.  
  
"Blake, man, what is wro-" Dustin began as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. He stopped as he looked over at the bed. "Uh guys.." Dustin said. Hunter and Shane, who were barely awake at the moment blinked.  
  
"What?" Shane asked, looking at his friend. Dustin silently pointed to the bed. Hunter and Shane's eyes followed where he was pointing. Tori looked at them and smiled, giving them a little wave. The two of them gasped and jumped to their feet.  
  
"Tori!" Shane exclaimed. Dustin got up as well. Tori leaned over to the side of the bed to look at Blake.  
  
"Blake, are you all right?" Tori asked worriedly. Blake scrambled to his feet and stared at Tori with wide eyes.   
  
"Guys, what's all the como-" Came Cam's voice as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. He froze as he saw Tori. Tori looked around the room and saw they were all staring at her. She snickered softly.  
  
"Stop staring at me like that, you're going to give me a complex." She said.   
  
"How……I……." Dustin stammered.  
  
"You………..How……….." Hunter sputtered. Cam and Shane remained in shock silence. Blake slowly sat down next to her. He touched her face gently.   
  
"Is it really you?" He asked in a whisper. Tori smiled.  
  
"In the flesh." Tori replied.  
  
"Am I dreaming?" Blake said. He stared into her beautiful eyes. He couldn't believe she was alive. "OW." He muttered as he felt someone pinch his arm. He turned his head to see Hunter. "What was that for?" Blake hissed.  
  
"To see if you're dreaming." Hunter reasoned. Tori laughed softly. Cam walked over to Tori and looked at her.   
  
"How did you……?" He began. Tori looked at them.  
  
"I." She began, unsure how to tell them. She blinked and looked at Cam, Blake and Hunter. "I saw your mom, and your parents." She said to the three guys. They all looked at her strangely…well, stranger then before…  
  
"What?" Hunter said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Blake asked. Tori took a deep breath.  
  
"I woke up in this like…..place…..And there they were."   
  
"Are you sure?" Cam asked skeptically. Tori gave him a look.  
  
"Cam, I was dead no more then an hour ago. I think we've exceeded the boundaries of what's possible and what's not."   
  
"Well, what happened?" Hunter asked.   
  
"They said that we're each important parts of this whole thing. Cam, you're the brain, but of course that's no news," Tori said smiling gently. "Hunter, you and Shane are the strength, Dustin's the optimism, Blake's the loyalty and protection, and I'm the heart. They said that without one part the entire group couldn't function. And that they weren't going to let the group fall apart like this and let Lothor win. So, they sent me back I guess." The others were stunned into silence.   
  
"It is good to see that you are all right, Tori." Came Sensei's voice as he walked into the room. "And they were right. Each of you are important to this group."  
  
"So that's why Lothor didn't want us to bring you back." Blake muttered. Sensei nodded.  
  
"That is correct, Blake. Lothor also knew of how much each of you means to one another. He figured that with the loss of one, the rest of you would be too grief stricken to carry on the fight against him and his army."  
  
"Well, we just threw a monkey wrench in his plans, didn't we?" Dustin smiled. Tori laughed.  
  
"Yup." Blake simply gazed at her. She was alive. She was all right. It seemed like everything was now right and just in the world in Blake's eyes. Tori caught him staring and reached over and took his hand in hers. She paused for a second and looked at Dustin and Shane somewhat franticly. "Uh, I just remembered something." She stated. "I've been gone for like a few days. Please tell me my parents didn't totally freak or something."   
  
"Your mom came by Storm Chargers looking for you, but don't worry, we covered for you." Shane said. Tori eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"How?" She asked.  
  
"Told her you were at some surfing expo in Malibu." Dustin said.  
  
"And she bought it?" Tori asked, somewhat astonished.  
  
"Well, not at first, but thanks to quick thinking by yours truly, we were able to convince her it was a real last minute thing and you'd call once you had the chance." Dustin boasted.   
  
"Kelly was a little suspicious though." Shane pointed out. "But she didn't really hassle us about it."  
  
"So, I'm going to have to go talk to both Kelly and my folks, and assure them both that I'm fine?" Tori asked.  
  
"Yeah." Shane said.  
  
"Well, that'll be fun." Tori said sarcastically.   
  
"Hey, at least you're all right." Blake said. Tori looked at him and smiled.  
  
"All right, you've got a point there." She said. Blake smiled and hugged her.   
  
"Group hug!" Dustin yelled. Everyone laughed as Dustin, Shane, Hunter, even Cam joined in on the hug. Sensei stood by smiling.   
  
"All right, all right!" Tori laughed. "I get it, you guys are glad I'm OK! Now get off!" She laughed as her friends hugged her tightly.  
  
"Glad doesn't even begin to cover it." Shane laughed. Cam, Shane, Dustin and Hunter released her after a while. Blake loosened his hold on her a bit, but didn't let her go. Tori couldn't help smile at that. She leaned against Blake. Hunter smirked.  
  
"OK, everyone out." He said as he started herding the others out of the room. "I don't think these two want us watching any moments of theirs again." They all shuffled out of the room, leaving Blake and Tori alone. Tori smiled and looked up at Blake.  
  
"Your brother doesn't rely much on subtly, does he?" She smirked.   
  
"Yeah, he redefines blunt." Blake smiled. He looked into her eyes. "I thought I had lost you." He said softly.   
  
"You were pretty close." Tori replied truthfully.   
  
"Why did you jump in the middle of Lothor and me anyway?" Blake asked. Tori raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You really think I wanted to just stand there and let Lothor kill you?" Tori asked.   
  
"So instead you let him kill you?" Blake asked.   
  
"Yeah, well I really wasn't thinking about myself at the time." Tori said. "All I cared about was making sure you were OK." Blake looked at her.  
  
"Why? I mean, after how I treated you on the island thing?" He asked. "I didn't deser-" Tori placed a hand on his lips to stop him.  
  
"Hunter's your brother. Besides, in the end, you swooped in and protected me. I couldn't actually stay mad at you." She smiled. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Jumping in between you and Lothor was just like, instinct, or something. Like, the sheer thought of you getting hurt was not good. I had to stop Lothor from hurting you, no matter what it took." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Blake, I love you." She said softly. Blake blinked; hoping he heard her correctly, hoping this wasn't just a dream. He smiled.  
  
"I love you too." He said. Tori grinned and kissed him. 


	18. Getting some air

Lothor sat in his throne. He looked at Zurgane.  
  
"General Zurgane." He said. "The rangers have had enough time to grieve their lost." He smirked. "Don't you think?" Zurgane laughed.  
  
"Yes sire." Zurgane said. Marah jumped to her feet.  
  
"Oh, uncle, let me and Kapri go down and take care of those pathetic rangers." Marah begged. Lothor seemed to think for a bit.   
  
"Oh, all right. They are nothing right now, so even you two could defeat them." He sighed. Kapri and Marah smiled.  
  
"Thank you uncle!" They said.  
  
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Cam's brows furrowed.  
  
"Uh, guys, looks like Lothor's taking advantage of our supposed weakened state." He said as he saw Marah, Kapri and some Kelzacks on the screen. The two were wreaking havoc in the park. "Better get Blake and Tori." The others looked at him.  
  
"Uh, why don't you get them?" Dustin said. "I don't think we want to walk in on any alone time those two are having." Cam looked at Dustin and rolled his eyes. He went to the door to the other room and knocked on it.   
  
"Guys, sorry to disturb you or whatever, but you're kind of needed for some ranger business." He said. Tori and Blake sighed as they got up. They went to the door and left.  
  
"God, you guys are acting as if we're doing inappropriate things." Tori smirked. The guys shrugged.  
  
"How are we supposed to know you aren't?" Hunter asked. Tori rolled her eyes.  
  
"OK, fight Kelzacks now, discussion of people's personal endeavors later." Cam said.  
  
"All right, let's go." Tori said. Cam stopped her.   
  
"Dad thinks we should make sure you're really up to it first." He said. He looked at the others. "You guys go."   
  
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"What's Lothor doing sending the losers?" Came a voice. Kapri and Marah spun around to see the four ranger boys in full morph. "He run out of competent monsters or something?" Dustin sneered.  
  
"Uh, Kapri, they don't seem grief stricken and depressed to me." Marah said. Kapri shook her head.  
  
"Of course they are. They're just putting up an act to look all tough."   
  
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Tori groaned as Cam passed the scanner over her.  
  
"I'm fine, now can I please go?" Tori sighed. Cam looked at his computer screen and read the scanner's readings. He nodded.  
  
"It's almost as if nothing even happened to you." He remarked. Tori jumped up to her feet.   
  
"All right , I'm out of here." She said as she started to morph into her ranger gear.  
  
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The guys where all fighting Marah, Kapri and the Kelzacks. Marah kicked Blake in the chest, sending him sprawling on his back.   
  
"What's wrong, can't fight now that your little girlfriend's gone?" Marah laughed. Suddenly a blue beam hit her. Marah shrieked and fell back. She looked up to see Tori standing there.  
  
"Who said I went anywhere?" Tori sneered. Marah's jaw hung open.   
  
"What? You're supposed to be dead!" She whined as she got back to her feet.   
  
"Sorry to disappoint, but 'the report of my death was an exaggeration'." Tori smirked. She turned to Blake and helped him to his feet. "You all right?" She asked. Blake nodded. Marah looked at Kapri.  
  
"She's not dead…..Now what?" She fretted. Kapri looked at the rangers who where now all gathered together ready to fight them.   
  
"Now….We run away." Kapri said as she and Marah vanished. The five rangers finished off the Kelzacks with ease.  
  
"Well that was anti-climatic." Tori grinned.   
  
"Maybe Lothor now knows it's not a good idea to make assumptions." Dustin laughed.  
  
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Lothor growled.  
  
"How on earth can that despicable ranger still be alive!" He yelled. Zurgane, Chooboo, Kapri and Marah all winced and stepped back from him.  
  
"Sir, I think now we have more problems." Zurgane pointed out.   
  
"What?" Lothor demanded.  
  
"Well, obviously, the Thunder Rangers and The Wind Rangers have joined forces." Zurgane said. Lothor growled angrily and zapped at Zurgane. He stumbled back a bit.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know you intergalactic moron!" Lothor bellowed.  
  
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"So, have you seen Tori?" Blake asked. It was the morning after the whole life/death incident and he, Hunter, Shane and Dustin were all sitting with Cam in Ninja Opts.   
  
"Well, she had to go talk to her folks last night." Dustin said. "And since then, nah. She probably got an earful for 'going to the surfing expo without telling her folks'."   
  
"An earful and a half is more like it." Tori said as she walked over to the guys. "They went into this speech of like having to know where I am at all times and everything."  
  
"Is everything OK?" Blake asked.   
  
"Oh yeah. Of course, they didn't believe the whole Expo thing and thought I spent nights with some guy or something."  
  
"Well, you did.." Dustin said. Tori gave him a look.  
  
"Not in that sense you doof." She said. Hunter and Shane couldn't help chuckle at that. Tori ignored them. "Anyway, so my mom basically interrogated me asking if I was 'still her sweet innocent Tori'. It was quite horrifying."  
  
"What does sweet and innocence have to do with…." Dustin began, then stopped as realization dawned on him. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh." He smirked.   
  
"Little slow, aren't ya?" Hunter laughed.   
  
"So, what happened next in your torment?" Shane snickered.   
  
"Shut up." Tori replied. She decided to change the subject. "So, now what's going on?" She asked looking at everyone.  
  
"We were just discussing Blake and Hunter joining up with us." Cam said.   
  
"We already voted." Shane said. "Didn't wait for you, cause, well, we figured you'd be biased." Shane smirked.  
  
"Ha ha, very funny." Tori replied dryly. The others all laughed.   
  
"We want to help take down Lothor." Blake said, taking the focus off of the taunting of Tori. Tori looked at him.  
  
"Because of what he did to your parents?" She asked.   
  
"Oh no." Hunter said. "Because he's an evil space ninja who's trying to take over the world."  
  
"And our sensei gave us the ability to fight for a reason. We'd rather honor our parents by doing good, then try to just avenge their deaths." Blake added. Tori smiled.  
  
"Great." She said.   
  
"See, told you, biased." Shane chuckled. Tori gave him a dirty look.   
  
"Don't make me hurt you." Tori threatened with mock sweetness. She looked at Cam. "So, any Lothor activity going on?" She asked.  
  
"I think he's sulking at the fact that he's not going to win as easily as he thought he would." Cam smirked. Everyone laughed.   
  
"Good, I think we could do with a break." Tori said. Dustin, Shane, Hunter and Blake agreed. Tori looked at Blake and slid her hand in his. Blake was pleasantly surprised by the sudden feel of her hand in his. He smiled softly at her. The others didn't seem to notice. Tori leaned close to Blake and rested her head on his shoulder.   
  
"So, now what?" He whispered. Tori grinned.  
  
"Now? I think we should finish what we started on the island." She said. Blake quickly stood up.  
  
"Uh, we're going to go get some air. Be back later." Blake said to the others. They all smirked, knowing what "getting some air" meant. Blake and Tori went to leave Ninja Opts. Tori stopped.  
  
"Oh, almost forgot." She said as she let go of Blake's hand. She went back over to Hunter, Shane, Cam and Dustin. She walked down the line of them, giving them each a swift smack on the head.  
  
"Ow." Shane and Hunter said.  
  
"What was that for?" Cam said rubbing his head.  
  
"For being sick voyeuristic perverts." She said as she turned and went back to Blake. "Bye." The two left.  
  
"Man, you'd think she would've forgotten about that." Shane grumbled as he rubbed his head.  
  
END  
  
AN: LOL, like? Anyway, the whole 'the report of my death was exhagerated' is a quote by Mark Twain. J 


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